


DOOM: Puer Infernalis

by EnriksD8



Category: Doom (Video Games), Doom Mods (Video Games), 黒獣～気高き聖女は白濁に染まる～ | Kuroinu: Kedakaki Seijo wa Hakudaku ni Somaru (Anime)
Genre: Crossover, F/F, F/M, Gen, Magic Fantasy, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-12-17 11:35:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 84,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21053735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnriksD8/pseuds/EnriksD8
Summary: Making their way out of Hell, three lost souls embark on a new journey to prevent a flowering world be destroyed by the perversions of evil.A soldier, cursed with immortality and hardened by experience from centuries of warfare against his eternal enemies. Brutal as he is cunning, he carves his way into this world's history as the deadliest soldier to exist. He is feared by the demons and exiled from ever achieving Heaven. But despite that, he rips and tears through all that stands in his way.A gunslinger, whose hand is fastest across the cosmos and one who dances with devils under the pale moonlight. A dark fire rages within him, burning those that dare harm those under his care. Weary eyes hide beneath the shadows of his hat, and inhuman skin lurks beneath his clothes. Death follows this pale rider everywhere, ensuring he never strays.A swordswoman, blade tempered by the infernal flames and blessed by the Heavens. She swiftly moves with grace, cutting down her foes with extreme prejudice. Miniscule she may be, but within her bosom is courage larger than measurable. Welcome is she in Heaven, in spite of the demonic air that clings to her and her allies.In this new world, they make their mark that shall echo throughout its history. For they are the three pillars against the Infernal Army of Hell.





	1. 0: In Principio

**Author's Note:**

> Making their way out of Hell, three lost souls embark on a new journey to prevent a flowering world be destroyed by the perversions of evil.
> 
> A soldier, cursed with immortality and hardened by experience from centuries of warfare against his eternal enemies. Brutal as he is cunning, he carves his way into this world's history as the deadliest soldier to exist. He is feared by the demons and exiled from ever achieving Heaven. But despite that, he rips and tears through all that stands in his way.
> 
> A gunslinger, whose hand is fastest across the cosmos and one who dances with devils under the pale moonlight. A dark fire rages within him, burning those that dare harm those under his care. Weary eyes hide beneath the shadows of his hat, and inhuman skin lurks beneath his clothes. Death follows this pale rider everywhere, ensuring he never strays.
> 
> A swordswoman, blade tempered by the infernal flames and blessed by the Heavens. She swiftly moves with grace, cutting down her foes with extreme prejudice. Miniscule she may be, but within her bosom is courage larger than measurable. Welcome is she in Heaven, in spite of the demonic air that clings to her and her allies.
> 
> In this new world, they make their mark that shall echo throughout its history. For they are the three pillars against the Infernal Army of Hell.

**DOOM: Puer Infernalis**

**AN: HEY-OH! EnriksD8 here back with another fanfic for y'all. This time, it's a crossover between the popular FPS franchise known as DOOM and the Hentai series called Kuroinu. Like many others before me, I got inspired by the Night Unfurls by StaffSergeant (great story, really loving the direction it's going so far), as well as Infernal Dawn by quentin3655. This crossover will use various Doom mods and the original games with a mix of the latest 2016 game, so expect another Author's Note by the end of this prologue chapter which will explain a little bit of this shit.**

**Doom belongs to ID Software**   
**Doom Mods belong to their respective owners**   
**Kuroinu: Kedakaki Seijo wa Hakudaku ni Somaru belongs to Liquid**

* * *

[Chapter 0: _In Principio_/_In the Beginning_]

-Eostia/Unknown specific location -

The Orc's head fell from its neck in a splash of red gore and yellowy mucus, its killer standing a few paces away.

The man stood tall and was well-built at that, standing at 7 feet and 4 inches tall. The man wore a dark green armored vest (or chest-plate, as they strangely called it as such in this land) over a tight fitting black shirt. He had damaged dark silver gauntlets with dark brown trimmings in each hand, both having black full-covering gloves underneath them entirely reaching up to his elbows. These were covered in dried blood and recent blood. His legwear consisted of brown cargo pants covered in damaged dark green paddings on the top half and damaged dark silver paddings on the lower half of his legs (currently covered in blood), with his dark brown combat boots (also covered in blood) lightly crunching the grass beneath him. His belt consisted of various pouches that were made of some sort of metal. Two small black circular pieces were on either side of his belt, the inner rims oddly glowing blue. His light gray helmet covered his face, with glass covering the area of the eyes being colored an icy shade of blue. It covered every part of his head and left his neck a little bit exposed if it weren't for the dark green vest's collars shielding the sides and the rear from attack while the black shirt covered the rest and still gave him a good range of motion with his neck.

In his right hand was a large and blocky weapon (a machine-gun), a dull tan color with a dark brown hexagonal box inserted beneath it alongside a dull tan box (a multi-shot micro-missile launcher) just to the left side of the weapon. In the other hand was a bloodied blade, with its strange black grip connecting to a sunlight-yellow guard with another dark-colored block connected to it, and its menacing long black blade was growling with various serrated teeth moving quickly along its edges.

Surrounding the man were Orcs and Imps… or rather, their corpses surrounded him and littered the grasslands beneath his boot.

The man had slaughtered them all with brutally quick methods, if their hole-ridden and mutilated bodies said nothing else.

It had been nearly a year since the man had arrived in Eostia and the first thing he had done since his arrival was to kill off this land of their greenskin problem. He showed no mercy to their ranks, often destroying the bodies to the point not much was left to bury afterwards when others had arrived to assess his damage done to their tribes. So much so, that the populace had begun calling him the _'Gore Knight'_.

If one were to ask an intellectual, they'd say that he's worse than the greenskins or their allies. Where the greenskins would pillage, rape and burn a village and then return to their camp to celebrate, the large green knight (that's what they thought of him anyway) would burn one camp, destroy any survivors of the greenskins or their allies and quickly move to the next camp intent on adding more victims to his rage and bloodlust.

Still, they were glad his bloodlust and rage were directed at the Orcs and their brethren. Gods know what will happen if he sets his sights on the villages and the kingdoms instead.

The green man quickly looked around, his icy blue visor reflecting the bloodied grasslands and dead bodies before he took off in a seemingly random direction.

He passed the thickets of the forest until he came upon a run-down and nondescript woodsman's house. He had used this house along with two (technically three) others as a base of operations, which explains some of the lights coming through some of the lower area's cracks and openings (which were small, luckily).

Opening the door, heading inside the house and closing it quickly, the large man went over to a nondescript rug and flipped it to the side, revealing the large metal hatch underneath. Opening the hatch to reveal another metal object, this time a sturdy set of ladders, the man quickly slid down to the cellar below where his companions were lounging about.

The first one was a short girl, reaching up to 5 feet and 6 inches, wearing a white blouse shirt with red suspender pants along with grayish brown sneakers and bandages covering her hands (while still leaving the fingers exposed). She had short hair, with a white patch of hair just over her left eye that was slightly ruffled to her liking, with a golden headband/hairband on top. Her chocolate brown eyes complimented her thin frame and light skin tone. She also had a black double bowtie to complete her looks.

This was Jung Hae-Lin, a South Korean woman that participated in Armageddon on Heaven's side.

On her left thigh was a holster for her handgun, an Acacia Woodsmen Incorporated A-22 handgun, already loaded with a five-round .500-Magnum magazine and fitted with a compensator designed to reduce all vertical recoil and force it downwards.

By her right hip was a sheath three feet in length. This sheath holds her signature weapon, the Kharon, a 34-inch blade made from Hell itself fashioned in the style of a Korean Tachi, a nobility sword of sorts.

"Hey, Flynn!" She greeted cheerfully as she childishly waved at him. The large man, now identified as Flynn Taggert, simply nodded back before his eyes fell upon his second companion, who was busy loading fresh cartridges into his R&C Thunderhawk revolver.

The man had a pale purple complexion to his sun-bleached white skin, which was odd and unnatural, and was tall and lean with some muscle on him. Standing at 6 feet and 5 inches, he wore a dull gray poncho with black triangles on the bottom with a thick white line after it. His hands were covered in brown leather gloves that nearly reach his elbows, and he wore dark blue jeans with warm brown shoes. His face was obscured by the shadow of his hat, but his pure white eyes seemed to break the obscurity. His hair was a grayish blue, also kept short as it just barely reached the bottom of his neck. On his left side was an empty leather bag that slightly glowed unnaturally.

By his side was a skull that vaguely resembles a buffalo, but the horns pointed forwards rather than backwards.

This man was Corzo White.

Casually swinging the cylinder back into the gun and cocking the hammer back with his thumb, Corzo simply nodded and hummed in satisfaction before twirling the gun for a few seconds and holstering it (the holster itself sporting a miniaturized skull with to bones beneath it crossing over like an X, and the buttons themselves being fashioned to look like bones as well).

Corzo exhaled his breath, the chilling sound that caused the hairs on the backs of weaker men stand up, as he got out from his seat. To Flynn and Hae-Lin, this was a common occurrence with their silent gunslinger.

"How're things topside?" His voice was silent to the point where Hae-Lin had to strain her ears to hear him properly. Flynn simply grunted and gestured to his bloodied boots.

"Greenskins are getting tougher. And bigger…" He received a playful slap on the lower back.

"Aww, cheer up, Flynn-Flynn! Bigger guys mean bigger guts!" Hae-Lin smiled warmly, an infectious action that brightens up anyone's day, as she skipped over to one of the tables that had her weapons on it. Underneath his helmet, Flynn smiled softly in response as he nodded at the short woman.

Turning his head to Corzo, the marine asked to the drifter. "What did you gather from the settlements?"

The drifter shrugged off his tiredness and replied. "People are talking about you. They sounded scared when I listened. Heard from the barkeep that one of the Princess Knights themselves is looking for you, friend." Reaching into his leather bag, he pulled out one of his bullwhips and gave it an experimental whip, the sound crackling in the air as the indestructible rope struck at one of the walls.

Flynn's eyes narrowed. "Why so? They looking for a bounty?" Corzo shook his head in a negative manner.

"Nah, they were looking for you for their leader. Some high elf named-"

"Celestine Lucullus." Hae-Lin interrupted the two men, her Sabbath heavy SMG clipped to her rear end on a custom-made holster. "The Goddess Reincarnated herself. The most powerful mage in the land only rivaled by Olga Discordia, the Dark Elf Queen." She elaborated as she stretched cutely.

"If Lady Celestine herself wants you Flynn that could only mean something big is coming up." She said as she sat down on a cushion nearby, bouncing lightly.

Looking at one another, Flynn and Corzo raised their eyebrows. A goddess looking for Flynn? That made some form of sense. Orcs and various other lesser demons had plagued this land for as long as Eostia had existed, so having someone kill a massive bunch of them would gain attention of many individuals, a goddess included.

He broke out of his thinking state as he went over to the heavily used bench at the side of the room and sat down. The two circular pieces on the sides of his belt began to glow a dim blue, with Flynn pulling out his various firearms and melee weapons and set them on the bench.

After an hour or so of cleaning, maintaining and repairing his weapons (with Hae-Lin practicing her swordplay and Corzo playing around with his Nimurdal boomerangs, twirling them around), Flynn looked over each of his weapons.

For his melee options, he had a simple hatchet and his chainsaw. Not much to say in this department at all.

His sidearms consisted of an M40 Sub Machine Gun (a sub-machine-gun that has the grip and rear of an SR-2 Veresk and the front of a TDI Kriss Super V, modified with a laser aiming module and a suppressor, chambered in 10.16x27mm in a 50 round box quad-stack magazine), an M45 combat handgun (an olive-drab handgun resembling the H&K Mk. 23 Mod. 0, modified with a laser aiming module and a muzzle brake, with the magazine holding 20 rounds of 11.5x32mm), and the M500 Magnum revolver (which is essentially a more advanced Smith & Wesson .500 Magnum revolver holding a surprising eight shots rather than five thanks to its large size and non-fluted cylinder).

The shotguns consisted of the DS-117 combat shotgun (modified with the underbarrel grenade launcher holding four shots before needing to be reloaded, the three-shot burst module that can now be switched to quickly similar to how the 21st-Century Benelli M3 Super 90 shotgun worked, and a large quad-stack box magazine holding an impressive 30 shells of 8-Gauge 3-inch Magnum), his favored Super Shotgun (modified with a lighter hair trigger and made to fire 8 Gauge Shredder rounds, which are simply pellets that can rip apart flesh quite easily, as well as having four barrels to up the deadliness quite a bit), and the Reaper (a shotgun-like weapon he found in Hell that shot a swarm of homing darts made entirely of hellfire).

His long-guns consisted of the M30 designated marksman rifle (It resembled a mix of the H&K G36 and an AK-12 chambered in 9.35x51mm in a 40-round magazine, and modified with an underbarrel single-shot 40x66mm grenade launcher. It had a scope with three levels of zoom for various ranges), the M4 Heavy Machine Gun (The machine gun he held earlier, which he prefers to call it the Heavy Assault Rifle. It was modified for higher degree of accuracy thanks to the scope and a recoil-absorption mechanism. Its box magazine holds an impressive 150 rounds of 12.7x100mm HEAP, and with a side mounted 6-shot 20x46mm micro-missile launcher), and the Delta-12 anti-tank multi-barreled mini-Vulcan (the Chaingun chambered in 15x115mm High Explosive rounds inside of a massive 600-round drum. It has a secondary mode/form that involves him twisting the firing mechanism, trigger and grip included, to a more conventional holding style along with the chainsaw foregrip being relocated to the left side. This transforms the gun from a hip-fired mini-Vulcan to a more traditionally aimed heavy machine gun).

The launcher weapons consisted of the Ouranus VI MRLS (It resembled a SMAW mixed in with an FIM-92 Stinger. It was modified with the Lock-On Module and Remote Detonator both applied, with drum loaded in the rear holding 6 rockets of 88x150mm High-Explosive smart missiles) and the AGL-40 Sector Sweeper (It looked like a mix of a Milkor MGL, a Hawk MM-1 grenade launcher and an Armsel Protecta shotgun. It was modified to launch 40x66mm corrosive rounds with less ballistic drop and a 12-round drum magazine).

His energy weapons were still the same with the Dark Matter Pulse Rifle (It was the original Plasma Gun he had encountered on Mars' moons of Phobos and Deimos. As it says on the tin, it fires Dark Matter Energy with a brand new chassis to better accommodate the new energy type), the M2 Plasma Rifle (The latest Plasma Gun with the Heat Blast and Stun Bomb mods both applied. It was also modified to fire a stream of plasma that either freezes or melts the target as well as a Lightning Gun mode) and the Hellshot (An Argent-Energy crossbow type weapon modified with a more traditional buttstock. It had a night-vision scope on the top mounted on a rail as well as a higher output battery).

His slug-guns were the Static Rifle (Modified to charge extremely fast with minimal movement, not to lose any energy when standing still, and to fire a fully-charged shot in a rapid five-round burst. The weapon's bullpup loaded magazine consisted of 6 tubes holding five 13x55mm Electromagnetic Slugs each, totaling out to 30 shots per magazine), the Vortex Rifle (A portable railgun that charges up its shot when zoomed in, upgraded to do so quickly. It holds 15 slugs per magazine) and Evangelizer Gauss Cannon (with both the Precision Bolt and the Siege Mode modifications installed).

His big guns were his iconic BFG 9000 and the BFG 10000 (essentially a quad-barreled rotary machine-gun variation of the iconic BFG 9000). As last resort weapons, he had about only 20 BFG cells in his reserve, each cell providing a certain amount of blasts depending on which BFG he inserted it into.

Satisfied with their near-perfect condition the marine began to put away his weapons, the circular pieces, Argent Accumulators in official UAC doctrine/logistics, began to break them down into glowing blue particles that were then absorbed into the accumulators, and leaving two weapons of his choice on the bench.

Taking the Super Shotgun and the Chainsaw, Flynn began to head to the ladder. "Where're ya going?" Hae-Lin asked, making him pause in his tracks and turned his head to her.

"Hunting," and with that, the marine climbed up the ladder and out of the cellar.

Hae-Lin blinked once before jerking her head to Corzo.

"You going to another bar?" A nod came from the gunslinger.

"You're gonna scrounge up more info?" Another nod came, as she sighed in response.

"Alright, let's go. Better than sitting in this dump anyhow."

* * *

-Hawkhaven/few minutes later-

Minutes later, Hae-Lin and Corzo were on their way to a nearby town known as Hawkhaven. It was a quaint little farming town with limited defenses but good trade for anyone starting fresh. It took them a minute to get into the bar of the quaint town, although many people were staring at them. Most men were lecherously peering at Jung Hae-Lin while many of the women were gawking at the mysterious stranger that is Corzo White.

The Angel of Death and the High Noon Drifter paid the stares no heed as they entered the bar, seeing the calm atmosphere inside as a welcome rather than the hot day outside.

Many heads turned to look at the newcomers, with many eyes widened when they gazed upon Corzo. Much like Flynn Taggert, Corzo White has sustained a name for himself in this odd land. With his fearsome two bullwhips and his lightning fast speed of drawing his revolver and unloading it upon a hapless many bandits and raiders, he was given the name _'The Drifter'_ due to the him not staying very long in one place. Hell, there were even rumors that he had gone up to the Badlands A.K.A. Garran once, slaying Orcs and other allies of the greenskins with his odd and shiny chrome repeating crossbow (his revolver, he would mentally correct at times).

Many of the women were gawking at the man and began to gossip with one another. They would giggle when Corzo looked at each and every one of them. They were envious of the young lady accompanying him, as they pouted or even glared at Hae-Lin due to how close she was to the Drifter.

People in Eostia have also heard of Jung Hae-Lin. Despite her child-like stature at times (especially when put next to Corzo and Flynn), her angelic grace and demonic speed in battle made many people fear and respect her. Her swift swordplay and quick reflexes earned her the title of _'The Angel of Death'_ as according to many witnesses, she moves with the grace of an angel and strikes with the heart of a demon, striking any enemy down and leaving none alive. There were rumors that Celestine Lucullus herself is scouting the Angel to be one of the Princess Knights, an honor many female fighters throughout the land consider the highest for them.

The two of them quickly found their seats and ordered their meals. Corzo, being used to the simple things especially since he travels a lot, ordered two pieces of bread and some sparkling water. Hae-Lin, being a little bit more normal, ordered some smoked fish and some good cider.

Despite having two well-known (by actions) foreigners in their midst, the bar quickly resumed its happy little atmosphere as the bartender announced that none are to disturbed their new guests. Corzo tipped his hat in thanks while Hae-Lin waved her thanks with that beaming smile on her face.

As the two began to eat in silence the doors of the bar opened up once more, followed by the sound of metal boots impacting lightly on the wooden floor.

The people who entered were none other than the Iris Knights themselves. Clad in rather revealing sets of armor over some barely modest silk fabric, these women were considered the peak condition of grace and beauty amongst Feoh and the other kingdoms of the Seven Shield Alliances.

Their leader wore a more extravagant variation of the revealing suit of armor, with bright blue pieces on various parts accentuating her beauty. She stands at 5 feet and 9 inches, with a rather large bust (not as large as say a K Cup, but more on the lines of an F or E) threatening to break the bonds of her armor with her ass almost doing the same. Her dazzling purplish blue eyes and her flowing blonde hair caught the stares of many men. By her left hip was her sword, a rather decorative one Corzo noted as he sipped on his water.

This was Alicia Arcturus, the only daughter of King Arcturus of Feoh and the older cousin of Prim Fiorire.

Her eyes scanned the bar, narrowing at every man she sees who responded by hiding into their seats. When she saw Corzo and Hae-Lin, her eyes widened and she immediately began towards them.

Upon instinct, Corzo's hand silently went to his holstered Thunderhawk only for Hae-Lin to raise her dainty hand slightly, signaling him to stand down as one of the Princess Knights themselves approached them. The Princess Knight clicked her tongue in annoyance when she saw the dirty rags the Drifter would call clothing.

The bar was silent once more, with many of the patrons waiting with baited breath.

"When I expected to see the Drifter," Alicia began, her voice belonging to that of a 19-year-old teen, "I expected a dashing man. **Tch!** And here you are wearing those dirty rags." Underneath his hat, the Drifter rolled his glowing eyes in response before tipping his hat further down and leaning against the wooden chair.

"Sorry to disappoint then, ma'am." He replied with that odd whispering and drawling accent of his. "But if y'don't mind, the little miss and I are eating so why don't cha'll leave us be?" His tone had a hidden edge in his words, making the atmosphere quite tense. Already, Thunderhawk was leaving its holster and aimed at the Princess Knight from under the table. His other hand was rhythmically tapping on the top of the table, the sound being much like the galloping of horses.

Alicia narrowed her eyes. Who was this man to defy her? She'll show him. Calmly but firmly, she put her open hands on the table with one being dangerously near the tapping hands.

"I am under _strict_ orders from Lady Celestine herself that I am to bring you and the Angel of Death to her castle in Ken." Her authority was clear in her voice; she will not be so easily swayed otherwise.

To her surprise and her own Iris Knights', Hae-Lin had placed one of her hands on the Princess Knight and gently but firmly removed them from the table. She was wiping her mouth with a plain white napkin with the etiquette of a refined lady. Once she was done, she tuckered in the napkin into one of her pants' pockets. Her chocolate eyes stared into Alicia's crystal blue ones, with more authority than the latter.

"I would be honored to be escorted to the Lady Celestine's palace, but you would have to wait as my friend here," she gestured lightly to Corzo, who was slowly eating the last few bits his bread and washing them down with the last of his water, "has some business involving the Badlands themselves."

Corzo's eyebrow rose in confusion and annoyance from behind the cover of his hat. That was Flynn's job! Why was he being thrown into the spotlight? When he saw that look in her eyes, he couldn't help but groan softly.

That one hand Hae-Lin removed came back as Alicia spoke firmly. "Then maybe we can help out one another. As it so turns out, Lady Celestine has business in the Badlands as well. If we worked together, we can be done by the end of the week."

She had a smug smirk on her face; after all, not many can resist her charms and words. This man was no different.

Corzo simply chuckled, a chilling sound much like those of phantoms that caused all hairs on the back of their necks to stand upright. The imposing man stood from his seat and adjusted his hat. What Alicia saw wasn't normal by any means.

His face was forever shrouded in shadow, with his glowing eyes peering straight into her soul. Oh, and because he was taller intimidated the Princess Knight and her escorts.

"_This! This is no mere man! He's a demon!"_ Alicia's mind was going into overdrive. Then the Drifter spoke, his whispery tone drawled out at times.

"Miss… I must implore you to wear something that can cover your skins, no use… catching a cold from that pathetic excuse of armor." Alicia gritted her teeth, her hand hovering dangerously close to the handle of her sword.

Just as a bit of the blade was revealed from its sheath, Alicia felt the cold metal on her forehead. Her eyes, as those of her knights, widened when Corzo had rapidly drawn his revolver. His glowing white eyes were unwavering, his finger on the trigger.

By now, many of the patrons were leaving in a hurry, not wanting to be in the sights of the Drifter when he drew his contraption at the Princess Knight.

"But consid'rin' that I am outnumbered…" Hae-Lin's eyebrow rose at that, "I'll entertain y'all for now and head to Miss Celestine's abode for the time being." With that, Corzo had holstered his Thunderhawk as fast as he had drawn it out.

He had been surprisingly calm. Not that it was out of character for Corzo, but Hae-Lin always thought of him as someone that didn't take orders from nobility. To see him comply to someone with a high social authority was a surprise indeed for the South-Korean woman.

Still, it was better than having the Seven Shield Alliance (or at least one of them) after the two of them (technically three, if they know of Flynn's affiliations with them). Mentally giggling for a bit, she stood up from her seat as well.

"I would like to apologize on my friend's actions here. He's… different when it comes to people forcing their authority on him." She calmly spoke as if what had just transpired was not of any form of peril at all. Hae-Lin bowed to Alicia briefly before continuing. Corzo simply rolled his eyes, or at least made the motion of doing so as his pupils are hard to discern from the rest of his glowing eyes.

"Normally this is where we simply ignore such people or… kill them for annoying us," she smirked lightly as many of the knights started drawing their weapons. Nine times out of nine times, she'll stand triumphant over them if one even dares to swing an inch at her.

"But!" She stressed it out, "We heard that Lady Celestine was having problems with the Demon Armies of the North. And since one of the Princess Knights has decided to grace us with her presence alone," she noted the knights lowering their weapons while Alicia felt some pride going to her face, "we could help with a goddess' own problems, don't you agree Corzo?"

"S'long as we get paid by the en' of the job, I'm set." He drawled as Alicia clicked her tongue in annoyance. _"Typical mercenary, always wanting the pay."_ She thought as the tension went away for the time being.

Well, it was better than nothing, she supposed. Corzo stepped past her and opened the door, looking back at them with a questioning look in his eyes. Hae-Lin replied to the silent message and walked out the door, softly smiling as she did.

Alicia sighed and massaged her temples before, after a moment's hesitation, went out the bar, slightly faltering under Corzo's gaze. She just hopes nothing out of the ordinary happens en route to Ken.

* * *

-Garran Badlands/at that time-

Multiple thundering sounds like lightning roared out, followed by the collapsing of greenskinned bodies and various thin pieces of yellowish metal littering the ground.

Flynn quickly chased after the Orcs and Imps fleeing, shooting the latters in the head with his M4 Devastator HMG as he did and brutally ripping apart the formers with his Chainsaw. The Fuel Counter read at 86%, so the Marine had plenty of victims to go through before it goes empty on him again.

Switching out his Heavy Assault Rifle for his Vortex Rifle (the former flashed in a bursts of blue pixels and disappeared into his Argent Accumulators), he began to snipe at the rest of the war band, making sure to position and angle himself so that he kills two or more Orcs with each blast of concentrated Plasma-Argent energy-infused slugs, resulting in gory explosions with each blast.

As the last of them fell, the Marine ejected the emptied EM Slug Magazine and inserted a brand new one. As the rifle hummed to life with the new magazine in place, he began to move quickly through the deserted wasteland that is the Badlands.

He'd been here every now and then to quell the war bands and their demonic brethren. Not once had he suffered from the life-draining atmosphere this place had over other regular beings of life.

Taking in his surroundings, the Marine noticed the forest where a nearby war camp was rumored to be located.

Where there was a war camp there were Orcs. And where there were Orcs there were prisoners. And where there were prisoners there were killed men and violated women.

Clenching his grip on his Vortex Rifle, the Marine began to head into the forest. Passing through bushes and demented trees, the Marine swapped out his Vortex Rifle for his Hellshot. The hellish crossbow, adorned with a large ammunition box inserted underneath holding 20 bolts 12.5 inches in length. Compared to a traditional crossbow or a tactical crossbow, where the two limbs were long and far outstretched from the body, the Hellshot's four limbs were closer to the body with glowing red wires on their ends connecting to the battery inserted into the buttstock much like a bullpup firearm. Its scope, when peered into, revealed the heat signatures of everything with high sense of clarity.

After passing through a good amount of forest, the Marine had stumbled upon the war camp. It was moderately sized, but poorly guarded. Honestly, it was like all they ever care about was to kill men and fuck women. Oh wait, that is what the monsters all care about.

Lowering himself to a crouch and looking through the Hellshot's scope, the Marine saw only one Orc and three Imps guarding the entrance.

Taking aim, he wasted no time and squeezed the trigger, the hellish crossbow making a thumping sound skin to letting a jackhammer strike concrete once as the Argent-infused bolt traveled with grace and speed as it impaled two of the Imps at once, the four limbs slightly extending and the wires glowing a bright red (luckily the brightness was masked by the equally red leaves and mushrooms around him). Quickly adjusting his aim, he shot twice more, the bolts closing their distances on their targets in less than a second and cleanly impaling the last Imp and exploding the Orc's head in a showery pop of gore.

As the bodies fell, the Marine quickly made his way to the entrance, swapping out the Hellshot for his M30 DMR. Doing an ammo count and seeing the 9.35x51mm round properly seated in the chamber, he sets foot inside the war camp.

On the outside, the war camp was surprisingly Spartan in decoration. But on the inside of the camp were hundreds of human skulls littering in piles all across the camp, set on fire for their tribal reasons.

There around thirty Orcs in the camp, with thrice that amount for the Imps. The war chief of the camp sneered at the newcomer, showing off his ugly yellow teeth and tusks.

"Human intruder! Leave or be crushed by war camp might!" Heh, they even speak like complete idiots. The Marine's only response was a quickly squeeze of the trigger and the rifle's bullet slamming into the war chief's thick skull, creating a deep furrow in his horse skull helmet.

The war chief roared in pain and ordered his fellow Orcs to attack, with the Imps beginning to swoop down on the Marine.

He quickly moved, dodging the assortment of clubs, maces, and rusty swords and retaliating by firing three-round bursts into their skulls as punishment for their poor aim in melee combat.

After thirteen Orcs fell, he reloaded his gun and swapped it out for the Ouranus VI MRLS. Aiming at the Imps, he lets lose a rapid volley of three rockets, each one taking out sizable chunks of the group. Ducking under an Orc's swing of his wooden club, the Marine pulled out his hatchet and struck the back of the right knee, causing dark red blood to spill over the already bloodied land below them and the Orc to fall from lack of balance.

Executing it quickly with a strong one-handed chop from his hatchet, the Marine quickly fired three more rockets before reloading, the rockets reducing the remaining Imps down to a manageable nineteen.

Swapping it out for the DMR once more, the Marine fired full-auto at the flying Imps, taking one or two down within every five rounds. Twelve down, seven to go.

Reloading, he rolled out of another Orc's attack and pulled out his Super Shotgun. Closing the distance between them, he fired one half-blast into the ugly thing's groin, destroying whatever was there, and the second half-blast into its head, causing it to explode in a satisfyingly gory way.

Breaking open his iconic multi-barreled shotgun and loading four more shells, the Marine quickly dispatched the remaining Orcs, the thundering booms of the weapon echoing throughout the war camp and forest.

Aiming at the remaining Imps, who took the opportunity to scratch at his armor while he was killing Orcs, he fired four shots, reloaded, and repeated the process until all Imps were dead on the ground.

In the aftermath were twenty-nine dead Orcs and ninety dead Imps, with the Marine standing at the center of it all, a bloodied Super Shotgun in one hand and a bloodied hatchet in the other.

The war chief backed away before pulling out his weapon. It was a long and thick wooden spear decorated with colorful feathers and the spearhead being serrated. Holding it in one hand and a sturdy wooden shield in the other, the war chief charged with a wordless roar at the Marine.

Simply standing still in his place, the Marine simply placed away his Super Shotgun and readied his hatchet.

Once the war chief got close, the ugly thing swung his large spear only for the Marine to skillfully dodge the weapon and drive his hatchet into the war chief's hand severing it nearly with a few muscles keeping it barely attached to the wrist.

The war chief roared in pain and swatted the Marine aside with his shield. The Marine impacted against one of the wooden totems and grunted. Falling to his knees and palms, the Marine tucked away the hatchet into subspace and simply readied his fists.

The war chief roared again and charged this time shield first. The Marine took note that the shield obscured most of the war chief's vision from the nose down and took advantage of that. Quickly ducking out of sight and rolling to the left, the Marine felt the wind displace as the larger greenskin pass him rather quickly and crash into the wooden totem.

Capitalizing on the moment, the Marine rushed to the war chief's exposed back. Rearing one fist back, he punched at the center of the exposed back, piercing through the thick skin and grabbing the spine. Using his other hand, the Marine punched through the upper back and grabbed that part of the spine there.

And, with surprising amount of strength for any human being to possess, the Marine had completely lifted the war chief and began to pull in opposite directions, Seconds later, the body was brutally ripped in two, showering the Marine in blood and guts and gore and all that good stuff as he casually threw away the two halves of the war chief to the side.

The job was done, now to get his pay from his employer.

* * *

_She opened her dark emerald eyes to an entire sea of fire surrounding a black and barren land. Frantically looking around, the woman could only see rocky valleys and mountains, all void of any signs of life._

_Celestine Lucullus, the Goddess Reincarnated, shook in her place. One moment she was sleeping soundly in her keep in Ken, the next she was somehow transported here to this barren landscape._

'Where am I?! What is this place?!'_ She screamed in her mind as she continued scanning the barren landscape. She had to get back home! She was needed back with her people, her friends and the Alliances!_

_When she started to move from her spot, she heard something far off into the distance. Her High Elf ears picked them up, but she had to strain them (which was a rarity for her nowadays), and she thought the sound to be that of thunder. That is until she realized something._

_The blood red sky of this strange land had the normal amount of clouds one would see on a normal sunny day. No thunderclouds were in the sky at all. And the noise that she heard sounded like it was closer to the ground rather than the sky._

_The logical part of her mind's telling her to get away from the sound, while the curious side of it was telling her to find out what it was._

_Against the more logical side of her, Celestine began to make her way slowly to the sound's location. As the seconds passed, she picked up the pace as she began to walk up the slight slope of the hill blocking the source of the sound._

_That's when she heard multiple noises sounding like the one she heard before going off in rapid succession._

'A mage! Maybe they could help me!'_ Celestine thought as she quickly made it over the hill._

_What she saw would forever stay with her until the end of her days._

_There were hundreds of horrifying monsters all converging in onto one spot._

_A majority of them consisted of lean creatures nearly six feet tall, some of them black with multiple spikes jutting from their shoulders and back while others were of a dull gray coloring with no spikes while the rest of these lean creatures were colored in a light shade of brown with some parts of them being blue._

_There were others as well just as numerous as the lean creatures (perhaps more, but she couldn't count the numbers), being human in terms of appearance and clothing, but their weaponry was quite bizarre to the Goddess Reincarnated. Some of them were carrying oddly shaped silver wands while others carried large black rams with multiple brass pieces attached to it. They wore uniforms of black, gray, and red depending on their weapon in their hands. These strange warriors seemed to be on the frontlines of this large battle._

_The larger monsters caught Celestine's attention. Dull pink bull-like monsters were charging, accompanied by blood-red variations of them with silver rear legs and black versions that left phantom trails in their wake._

_Then there were the large bipeds. Hulking gray eyeless beasts easily taller than an Orc (which reached up to nine feet at most) with four claws on each hand and three claws on each foot leapt and created shockwaves in their path, caring not for their human allies that were either trampled or blown to the side._

_There were also the large, pinkish red muscular Minotaurs with dark gray horns, shaggy brown legs and black hooves that accompanied them. While their numbers were smaller in comparison to the aforementioned, their presence was unquestioned. In each of their pinkish red hands were green orbs of fire as they threw them in a slow manner at the unseen (in Celestine's eyes) foe._

_While lesser in number, there were bright orange versions of the pinkish red Minotaurs. These ones had pitch black legs covered entirely in large pieces of carapace instead of fur and had equally black spikes jutting from their shoulders, elbows, and spine. Their heads sported pitch black horns to finish off their terrifying visage._

_Then there were the deathly thin undead warriors easily taller than the tallest Elves. Covered in bright white chest plates with strange contraptions that spewed fire from their bottoms, these skeletons flew and fired fast moving projectiles from their shoulder mounted rods._

_Black versions of these warriors were also visible, with only one large rod on their shoulder that fired methodically. Celestine was surprised that the projectiles were stars! (In her eyes, at least)_

'What army of demons is this?! How is this possible?!'_ She panicked internally as she continued to note the different varieties of monsters. Not even Olga Discordia, her counterpart, nemesis and old friend, could muster an army this massive, and that was saying something!_

_More of these monsters showed themselves. One species consisted of disgustingly fat (even more so than Orcs) light brown monsters covered in some stony armor that barely covered them and left their nauseating guts exposed. Their hands sported no claws, but rather odd cylindrical devices that spewed out long and intense flames from the large holes or fired out massive fireballs._

_Green variations of these things were also present, spewing acid instead of fire at the unseen threat._

_There were also these flying, balls that either shot purple balls of light from their maws or coughed out flaming skulls._

_The ones spewing out the purple balls of light were red with tiny little arms while the ones coughing out the flaming skulls were dull brown with black horns._

_Celestine heard them all growling, roaring, moaning, and made all other sounds that were unnaturally disturbing to hear. She tried to block them out, but her Elven attributes betrayed her._

_She heard odd whirring sounds followed by stomping and she saw disgusting heads mounted on four legged light-gray metal constructs that transported them across the landscape. From underneath their bodies came fast moving bright blue projectiles that haphazardly exploded against anything they made contact with, sending out a mix of lightning and blue slime everywhere within small vicinities that melted the ground slightly._

_More evolved versions of them also were there. Their black armor contrasted the others' light-gray armor, but they all were the same. Much like the first ones, they fired projectiles from their undercarriages; these ones were of a pinkish violet instead of bright blue._

_Then there were the third version of these multi-legged beings. These ones were of pitch black fleshy masses mounted on a four-legged metal construct that spewed flames much like the skeletons in bright white chest plates that allowed them to fly. They either fired fast moving yellow spears of light or red orbs of magic at rapid paces._

_Celestine covered her mouth in horror. These creatures were getting more bizarre by the minute as more entered her vision._

_To her rear, she heard an odd cackling sound. Against her fear, her curiosity made her turn around to see tall light brown figures, lean and with some muscle on them, conjuring pillars of fire where more monsters were coming out of._

_Then there were red versions of these tall figures with thin short tails ending in arrowhead shapes that quickly zipped across the battlefield and leaving trails of red light in their wake, eliciting ghoulish screams as they passed her._

_Then there are dull orange figures featuring thicker and longer tails alongside pitch black spikes and horns that zigzagged across the demonic army, leaving trails of fire in their wake._

_The heat of the flames made Celestine back off and turn to see some of the even larger monsters this army had to offer._

_Centaurs with the upper bodies of satyrs were the first to be noted. These creatures, much like the muscular Minotaurs, threw green fireballs at whatever they were facing._

_And then there are the larger versions of the four-legged beasts. These ones fired yellow spears that exploded against the land from strange rotating contraptions beneath them._

_Hearing a rumbling sound, the High Elf saw large flesh creatures connected to odd contraptions that propelled them across the land with weird growths on their shoulders that fired slow moving white spears with red tips._

_Hearing loud roars, she turned to see the sources to be even bigger Minotaurs in very limited numbers much like the large multi-legged heads! Light brown in their armored skin, these creatures red guts were also exposed but didn't disgustingly did so like the ones that spewed fire or acid from their hands. Their lower goat-leg halves were made out of metal, creating deep footprints in the ground with each thundering step. Their right arms ended in distinct human-like hands with a black talon-like protrusion extending from the wrist that, with each swipe, launched large crescents of fire. Their left arms, or rather their lower halves, sported large cannons that launched three white spears in succession. Out of all of them, these creatures made Celestine scared the most._

_Suddenly, a bright flash filled her vision, causing her to shield her eyes with her arms and close them tight. The painfully bright light was gone in less than two seconds, and Celestine found herself in a new area._

_One where all the monsters she was just observing in terror were all converging on._

_Her instincts told her to run, but her body couldn't move! She was petrified in fear! Here she was, seeing a vast sea of monsters in an equally monstrous landscape all coming in on her._

_She closed her eyes and began to pray, hoping that this was all a horrid nightmare she'd never have to experience ever again._

_Loud thundering sounds erupted once more, this time they were close to here. Daring to open one eye, Celestine saw a lone man nearby just a few feet away._

_He wore an oddly-shaped helmet with a blue piece of glass concealing away his eyes from her. His chest plate was a damaged dark green, much darker than some of the dark green leaves of the forests of Eostia, covered in dried blood and decorated with a wide assortment of scars, burns, and other forms of damage one would sustain in a battle. It exposed his abdomen, to which she blushed at how chiseled they were. Hell, everything about this man was like it was chiseled to absolute perfection._

_Underneath his chest plate and outlining his muscular body was a dark charcoal gray shirt that had short sleeves covering a bit of his upper arms. His forearms were covered in shiny but bloodied silver gauntlets, also damaged like his chest plate._

_His lowers consisted of brown pants covered in pads of armor (dark green for the upper portion and silver for the lower portion) and had boots for footwear. Not only that, but he was taller than any Elf she had met over the past millenia of her life. This man towered over her and the lean creatures and their human allies._

_She also noticed that the demons were ignoring her and going straight for the man._

'They're… going after him? But why would they need this many of their ranks? Surely one man couldn't be that deadly.'_ Celestine though as she took in the tall and muscular individual's features, blushing as she did._

_In his hands were odd weapons, Celestine noted. One of them was large, dark gray at the top and rear portions area and lighter gray at the bottom portion, but glowed green at the central top of it and on the front. She heard the loud humming coming from the weapon as green lightning sparked out of the large contraption._

_The other weapon was a light brown and blocky weapon with the center piece being black. Its front flashed multiple instances of fire, followed by the same yellow streaks that the some of the disgusting heads mounted on their metal constructs fired from their undercarriages._

_The yellow streaks/spears tore through the demon ranks, and Celestine once again covered her mouth in horror or terror as each one had a massive chunk of their body destroyed from when a yellow spear impacted against them, going through their body and destroying a massive part of it and finally slamming into more demons that were unfortunately behind the first wave of demons._

_The thundering sounds of the weapon and the squeals of the dying monsters filled a sense of dread deep within Celestine's core. Stepping back, she watched with widened eyes as the tall, muscular and mysterious figure take down a majority of the more numerous monsters quickly from his oddly shaped staff._

_The man suddenly moved with a speed that rivaled lightning and activated his other weapon. Celestine gaped in awe as a large green ball of energy formed in less than a second and flew. Multiple bolts of lightning shot out from the orb, disintegrating many of the more numerous monsters before impacting against one of the pinkish red Minotaurs. The resulting explosion created a shockwave that knocked the beautiful High Elf down on her shapely ass and vaporized any of the monsters within a fairly sized vicinity of the impact, leaving gory chunks of the larger monsters and splattering red, green, and blue colors of blood all over the battlefield._

_Jumping up, the man turned to another area of the demon horde and activated his large weapon once more, getting the same gory result as the last one._

_This battle- no, massacre, Celestine corrected herself- lasted for quite a while before only the larger and tougher demons were left._

'Wh-wh-what is it with this man?! No mere mortal could move that quick and decimate a massive group of demons in such a short period of time!'_ Celestine said to herself as she watched the armored figure taking on the skeletons and the larger monsters._

_Suddenly, guttural growl sounded from behind her. Once again, against her rational side, she turned to see a surviving monster leap at her directly!_

* * *

She woke up with a scream. Frantically looking around, Celestine found herself back in her private quarters in Ken.

Clutching her chest to calm her rapidly beating heart, the Goddess Reincarnated hyperventilated for about a few seconds to possibly two minutes before calming down.

The things she saw in her vision came back in a flash. The various monsters of different forms and powers all serving as part of a massive demon army that makes the ones Olga made a deal with look pathetic in comparison.

And then there was that large man. The aura (or _ki_ as her friend, and one of the Princess Knights, Kaguya would call it) he exuded was so outright murderous that it could leave a stinking impression on her fair city for generations to come and could suffocate many strong-willed individuals and outright kill the weaker ones if possible.

'_What does it all mean?'_ Clutching her head tightly and wracking it for answers, she was interrupted when her majestic and finely carved dark wooden doors were opened rapidly as three individuals rushed into the room.

The one in the middle stood out from the two others who were nondescript at most. She was a fairly beautiful human female with healthy light skin tone. Her bust and ass were eye-catching, sure, but so was her blade in figurative and literal senses. Her armor was finely crafted, with azure plates accentuating her frame well alongside the very light purple metal. Much like Celestine's robes, her armor left her succulent flesh exposed at many parts like her bust and ass. Her blonde hair was tied into a ponytail with some bangs framing her beautiful face.

She was tall, reaching to Celestine's height with the help of her heels, at five feet and ten inches without the heels of her armored boots. Her steel blue eyes could pierce the toughest of steel if she had the ability to do so, and it aided to her authority amongst the Seven Shield Alliances.

This was Claudia Levantine, daughter-in-law to decorated war veteran Grave Levantine and wife to scholar Klaus Levantine.

And she was Celestine's close friend during the recent years of this long-going war.

"Lady Celestine!" Her strict, disciplinarian tone showed signs of concern as she barged in when she and her knights heard the scream. Taking two of her best Templars, she quickly raced up the tower's long-winding steps to ensure that the Goddess Reincarnated was safe from harm.

"Are you alright?! We heard screaming from down below and came as soon as we heard!" Claudia rushed to Celestine's side and her face showed obvious signs of alertness and concern.

By the time Claudia's words registered in Celestine's mind, she began to calm down. Waving off her friend's concern, she replied with a somber smile.

"It's fine Claudia. I just had a nightmare, that's all." Though unconvinced, Claudia glanced at the two other knights and dismissed them. With a salute (which was done by the right fist firmly placed on the left breast and bowing slightly), the two knights left and closed the intricate pair of doors, giving Celestine and Claudia some privacy.

"Celestine," the leader of the Dawn Templars began with a tone of a concerned and caring mother speaking to her hurting child, "please. Tell me what's wrong?" Placing a firm hand on Celestine's shoulder, Claudia requested.

Seeing no way out other than telling her friend, Celestine sighed and placed one of her hands on Claudia's own.

"Do you believe in life on other worlds, Claudia?" the question took Claudia for a spin as she involuntarily flinched slightly before she steeled herself once more.

"If I may, what brought that up, Lady Celestine?" she asked, her tone losing the hardened edge and was replaced with a much softer tone. The question her leader and close friend was something her loving husband could answer better, not her, a knight and a fighter.

Celestine replied, her voice in a tone of a frightened child.

"What I saw in my nightmare horrified me. The demons I saw were more terrifying than the Orcs and their allies of the north. So many of them, it was like a sea of horrid and wretched beasts ready to conquer many worlds." Claudia's eyebrows shot to her hairline at that answer.

An army of demons more terrifying than the ones encountered at the northern parts of Eostia? Such a thing was silly to imagine and yet so terrifying to realize the possibility of it coming true.

"But why did you ask me of a question involving life on other worlds, Lady Celestine?" Celestine inwardly sighed at Claudia's habit to call her Lady even in times of privacy.

"Because the nightmare I had just now… had a barren landscape, an entire sea of fire and the skies were blood red." Nearly jumping back in surprise, Claudia also could see why she asked that question in the first place.

Seas of fire, barren and desolate landscapes, and blood-red skies… Those sounded like the homeworld of all demonkind if Claudia would think of it as such.

"I… I see. Lady Celestine, I can only be honest with you and say that I know not of such a concept. My husband may know, Your Grace, as he has been studying various new topics these days."

Celestine smiled at her friend's honesty. That was one of the reasons why she trusted her Princess Knights, each of them personally handpicked by her and they had proven themselves worthy of their title time and time again.

Then she remembered that one creature that lunged at her. She shivered visibly, terrified at the creature's visage as it quickly came at her with the intent to kill.

"T-Thank you for your honesty, Claudia. You are dismissed." With a salute, Claudia Levantine slowly left the room and quietly closed the doors, leaving Celestine alone for the time being.

Sighing in relief, the Goddess Reincarnated looked to the starry sky from her open balcony. Seeing the twinkling stars and the shining moon gave her hope that all she saw was a nightmare.

However, she frowned when the large man in green armor flashed across her mind. Her instincts told her to stay away from the man, yet her heart's telling her to be as close to the man as possible. As if he was a shield that would never break no matter the danger around him.

With that, Celestine Lucullus retired for the night with a heavy thought in her mind.

* * *

**AAAAAAND Chapter! That's a wrap guys, I'm just gonna end it here since I feel that this would be an appropriate length. Barring the starting and this AN, this chapter/prologue's about 18 pages long.**

**To clear things up, the Doomguy I'm using will be a mix of his various incarnations:**

He'll have the silence, relentlessness, and the godly durability of his DOOM 2016 Counterpart, the Doom Slayer.<br />  
He'll have his Marvel Comics counterpart's psychotic tendencies when using any form of melee combat.<br />  
He'll have the original novel Doom Marine's sense of honor.

**Yes, I named him **Flynn Taggert** instead of **William Joseph BJ Blaskowicz III** since I prefer that name for reasons.**

**In terms of his appearance, I try to mix it up a bit. Instead of the 2016 **Doom Slayer's Praetorian Suit**, his outfit is a mix of the original Doom Marine attire from **Doom** and **Doom 2: Hell on Earth**, with the gauntlets from **GMOTA** (a really good melee-oriented Doom Mod made by **Combine_Kegan**) and the chest armor being the one used by the protagonist of **Doom 3** but in dark green rather than light green.**

**His weaponry and abilities are a mix of **Project Brutality 3.0** (made by **pa1nki113r** and his friends) and **Death ForeTold** (a Doom 4-inspired mod made by **DBThanatos** and his team).**

**As for **Corzo White**, his attitude and personality are planned to be similar to Clint Eastwood's characters from the **Dollars Trilogy** ('**A Fistful of Dollars**', '**For a Few Dollars More**', and '**The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly**') and the **Dirty Harry Films** meaning the main means of talking for him often involves squeezing the trigger and shooting someone in the face.**

**His skills in combat are similar to **The Man with No Name** and **Inspector Harry Callaghan**, and I'll mix in **Revolver Ocelot**'s ability to ricochet his bullets to where he wants to them to go. Much like **Indiana Jones**, Corzo's bullwhip skills allow him to quickly travel from multiple points in addition to being able to rapidly strike down his foes.**

**(**Corzo White** and **High Noon Drifter** belong to **TerminusEst13**)**

**For **Jung Hae-Lin**, her personality will be the most child-like of the group, but she will still have that air of maturity. Her innocence and her infectious smile would brighten up anyone's day. Her sword skills are going to be like **Lo Wang** (from the **Shadow Warrior series**) where her bizarre movements with her Korean Tachi, the **Kharon**, will leave her opponents mesmerize. They won't even know they're dead until one half falls in one direction, and the other falls the other way.**

**Her gunplay is somewhat lacking compared to **Flynn**'s and **Corzo**'s skillset when it comes to firearms. Due to her small size, she often exerts her muscles and the powers of the **Angel of Death** to absorb the recoil of her guns. This makes her rely on close quarters most of the time and use **Gun-Kata** (from the **Christian Bale** film '**Equilibrium**', which reminds me to watch any scenes involving Gun-Kata so I don't fuck it up).**

**(**Jung Hae-Lin** and **Demonsteele** also belong to **TerminusEst13**)**

**But anyways, reviews are highly appreciated (because I'm a trash normie) and flames will be used for my fireplace and/or barbecue.**

**So in the words of some guy on the phone, see you on the flipside.**


	2. 01: Regina Mercenarius et Inferos Hospes

**DOOM: Puer Infernalis**

**Holy shit! In less than two days, this story's popularity has (relatively) skyrocketed. Since you guys wanted it, you got it! Here's a brand-spanking, fresh off the factory, straight outta Compton, new chapter for all y'all to read.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

[Chapter 1: _Regina Mercenarius et Inferos Hospes_/_Mercenary Queen and the Hell Traveller_]

-Nearby Wakefield/556 G.A.-

The Marine was walking back to his little hideout. After taking care of the Orc War Camp, he immediately began to his employer to collect his reward and get a lay of the land even more. A map's good and all, but you can't beat experiencing things yourself. So the Marine took the scenic route, taking in and memorizing each location he passed through. In less than two hours, the Marine already had arrived at his employer's abode.

It was your typical nobleman's mansion, all the grandeur that blatantly says _"Look at me! Here I am! Steal my shit!"_ Flynn could remember the nobleman's shock when the Marine had returned the same day he had taken on the job. For a normal mercenary of this land, taking on such a difficult job and returning would take at least five days to nearly two weeks at most, but for Flynn? That was a mere Sunday stroll on the beaches for him.

Still, the nobleman was actually so impressed that he gave the Marine triple the amount originally negotiated.

That was a few days ago, and the following days were just of him killing off any Orcs or bandits. To be frank, he never really cared for what happened to the poor fucker that was on the receiving end of his fists, bullets, energy blasts, or blades. They all died the same way to the Marine, who simply pummeled and tore them apart until they were itty-bitty pieces or gunned them down into bullet-ridden corpses or melted down their bodies into molten mush.

Not one to look at gift horse in the mouth, and after pocketing away the large bag of gold, silver, and bronze coins (a massive collection or compilation of all the rewards he'd been receiving over the past few days), the Marine was on his way back to the woodsman cottage he, Corzo, and Hae-Lin call home.

Just then, his helmet's Head's-Up-Display or HUD was picking up on multiple heat signatures closing in on him. He could count ten of them, eleven tops. Slowing his dash to a slow walk, the Marine's HUD was indicating that all heat signatures were coming from the same direction, none really making any attempt to flank him.

Turning to face the incoming possible hostiles, the Marine pulled out his M40 SMG, safety off and set to 5-round burst. His ears picked up the galloping of many horses, along with the clinking and clanking of metal pieces.

Once the heat signatures were in vision, the Marine saw multiple female warriors approaching him on horseback. Narrowing his eyes from behind his visor, the Marine lowered his SMG, but did not keep it away.

It always was best to be prepared, even if you seem paranoid.

Taking in their appearances, the one that stood out the most was their leader, or at least that was what he presumed.

She wore… a scarlet sleeved leotard with a light blonde mane collar that had a plunging neckline that pretty much exposed her body from the neck down to just a few centimeters above her clit. The Marine's eye twitched at this woman's lack of modesty. The woman also wore light indigo-blue crotch-less pants with near-knee-length dark brown boots as her lower attire, complete with a thick dull brown belt. Dull brown fingerless gloves covered her hands. Surrounding her neck was a black choker while an equally black thin bandana was on her forehead.

The woman was around 5 feet and 9 inches by his estimations, so she barely reached his chest if she were to stand beside him. Her skin was that of a light tone, much like most of the other women on horseback. Her hair was short and messy, colored in a light magenta, which framed her face neatly despite its messy style. Her eyes were colored in a shade of red, reminding the Marine of the blood he spills while slaying demons in his eternal crusade.

He also noticed two scabbards for her weapons, one on each thigh. They were swords, if the shape of the scabbards and the golden grips and hilts weren't any clear indicator.

The woman felt familiar to the Marine, so he began to look into his mind to where has he heard or seen her before.

Then it clicked. Of course. The Marine recognized her in less than a second. Standing before him, as she had dismounted her horse, was Maia, a well-known warrior of Eostia that held the title of the Queen of Mercenaries.

Still, he kept himself silent, not wanting to cause a fight amongst non-hostiles. Maia had walked up to him and gave a toothy grin as she looked up and gazed directly into his visor.

"So you're the so-called Gore Knight, huh?" Her voice was light, fitting for a woman such as herself. The Marine only responded with a nod. The Mercenary Queen then looked at his lowered M40, a curious glint in her eyes.

"Interesting little contraption there, big guy. What's it called?" She asked with curiosity akin to that of someone that was looking for any weaknesses in their potential enemies.

The Marine's response was simply that of him raising his weapon and speaking in a gruff tone.

"Model 40 Sub-Machine Gun." The gruffness of his voice startled many of Maia's warriors. Maia herself raised an eyebrow. The man's voice and tone gave it away. He preferred to let his actions do the talking, while any actual speech is kept to a bare minimum of a bare minimum.

But what he said was confusing to her. Sub-Machine Gun? What kind of odd contraption is that? Last time she heard from Ryuu-Ryuu (a Halfling and one of the Princess Knights), Rad was in the process of developing repeating crossbows, but this contraption in the Gore Knight's hand was something far too advanced even for the Halflings. And why did he refer to it was a Model 40? Were there 39 previous models in existence?

The Marine simply tucked away his SMG and crossed his arms, his size alone making him very imposing to all that were present.

Maia's training and experience as a mercenary had taught her many things, one of them was reading people's body language. With how he was positioned, the Gore Knight's crossed arms and silence meant that of a questioning manner.

Raising both her arms in surrender and defense, she spoke. "Easy there, big guy, we aren't here for a fight. We were just sent to pick you up by our leader." To her right, her second in command, Eliza, had her hand on the hilt of her sword.

The Marine stayed silent. Their leader? Quickly scanning his head once more, he quickly remembered something else that being the Seven Shield Alliances and their leader, Celestine Lucullus.

Wanting to make sure, he spoke once more.

"Celestine Lucullus?" Letting out a sigh of relief, Maia nodded as she lowered her arms to her hips. At least they were getting somewhere positive and not anywhere negative.

"That's right big guy. Celestine herself wants you in her court as soon as possible." She explained slightly. Much like her, the Marine's training and experience told him that there was more to this than just some little invitation.

Still, he was a foreigner in their land, so he can't exactly start questioning until it is really needed.

"So you coming or not?" Her question was genuine, and the Marine could pick up traces of hope in her tone. Either hope that he'll go with no problems or hope that no one gets hurt, possibly both for all he could care.

His only nonverbal replies to the Mercenary Queen were a grunt and a nod before he spoke.

"Need to get some supplies first." Maia looked downtrodden for a second before she beamed at him and replied.

"I could come with you. My girls can help too, if you'd like." Was this girl sucking up to him? He hoped not, and he rarely hopes for things anymore. He simply nodded in response and turned on his heel, intent on getting to the house before nightfall. Behind him he heard the slow trotting of the horses and Maia's footsteps.

He wasn't really lying when he said he needed to grab some supplies. He had left some things in the abandoned woodsman cottage and he intends to grab it before meeting with the so-called Goddess Reincarnated.

Minutes later, the Marine and his pseudo-entourage made it to the abandoned cottage he and two others shared as home. Opening the door, the Marine wasted no time and threw away the rug, revealing the hatch and sturdy metal ladder.

"You want us to go down there?" A new voice spoke, and the Marine turned to see Maia's second in command, Eliza, looking down the hatch with some hesitation and fear.

He scoffed internally. This woman, along with the others, was supposed to be a mercenary. A warrior for hire, one that has seen and done things outside of the black and white interpretations of knights in shining armor.

Still, he couldn't really fault her for her fear. With her flawless pinkish white skin, oceanic blue eyes, and raven black hair with the fit female physique covered in cloth and metal, he could assume she was a virgin in battle. Someone that knew the risks but never really experienced them.

His only response was of him jumping down the hatch, landing with an audible thud as his feet impacted the hard stone floor of the cellar. The action surprised Maia and her warriors, not exactly expecting an answer to come in the form of what he did.

Not exactly ones to repeat what the Gore Knight did, Maia and her warriors decided to wait this one out for now.

With the Marine, he began to pick up various tools such as repair kits for his weapons and armor, chemical crafters for the medical items, and even grabbed a few deployable automated .50-caliber machine gun turrets.

After collecting all the secondary things, he walked over to a metal container the size of two large chests placed together front to back. Opening the chest, the Marine was greeted with two things.

The first one was a greatsword. Its blade was long, around 72 inches or 6 feet in length, colored in diamond blue by the edges and point while the fuller was of an azure blue. The lower end of the blade was a thin block 18 inches or a foot and a half in length, with the upper end of the blade being like a standard great sword. The cross guard or hilt was silver in color, with the grip being a dark blue nearing black in color. The pommel was shaped like a meat pounder hammer, with all sides apart from the one connected/facing the grip covered in serrated spikes.

This was his Crusader Sword, a weapon he had picked up eons ago while chasing demons across the dimensions. He had found the weapon in a temple on one dimension and, after quickly dispatching two Hell Barons, quickly became one of his go-to melee options apart from his fists, hatchet and Great Communicator.

The second thing he had picked up was an oddly shaped cube with multiple eyes. This was the Soul Cube, a weapon he had found during one of his chases of demonkind through a portal. That portal just so happened to transport him to an alternate Mars untouched by UAC influence. Much like his Crusader Sword, the Soul Cube was found in a destroyed temple.

Picking it up, the Marine felt the multiple souls of the cube washing over him, as if they were cleansing him of any demonic filth. Smiling under his helmet, the Marine clipped the Soul Cube to his side, while his great sword was placed in the pocket dimension like his other weapons.

Once he was finished, the Marine began to head up to meet with Maia. Climbing the ladder to the cottage's living area, the Marine was somewhat surprised that Maia and her band of warriors stayed until the very end.

"Took you long enough." Maia jokingly stated, to which the Marine simply replied with a grunt before emerging completely from the hatch and planting his two feet onto the wooden floor. It was then she noticed the Soul Cube clipped to his side.

"So that's what you came here for?" He nodded in response, causing Maia to shake her head in a light-hearted manner.

"_I swear this guy's like Claudia. There's a big stick up his ass."_ She kept the thought to herself as the Marine walked past her and her warriors to the door. She and her warriors also noticed his lack of chivalry, as he simply opened the door and walked out to the horses.

"**Tch!** Such rudeness!" Eliza muttered, although it was loud enough for the rest of the band to hear clearly. And from what Maia saw, the rest of her warriors nodded their heads or hummed in agreement.

She sighed and clutched her temple with two fingers. She just hopes something doesn't come up to where she and her warriors will have to fight the Gore Knight. She, along with any traveler, soldier, or mercenary, had heard the stories, seen the bodies mutilated, and the weird golden cylinders left in the Gore Knight's many rampages against the Orcs and the rest of the Demon Army of the North.

For the first time in a long time, Maia was fearful of someone.

-En Route to Ken/Later on-

Maia noted a few things from their new companion on the way back to Ken.

First off, he never leered at any of the women present. Not saying she was annoyed, but she felt her feminine pride deflate a little bit. Either the Gore Knight swung the other way (which she doubted heavily) or the man had the patience of many saints (again, she doubted it but not as much as the first one).

Second, the animals around him ranged from afraid to downright terrified whenever they were near him. She chalked it up to them being uncertain and wary of him at first, but after seeing one nearly kick the Gore Knight (who simply dodged away from the two powerful equestrian legs), she suspected that there was something way off about this man.

Thirdly, the Gore Knight chose to simply walk alongside Maia. This confused her and her band greatly, and she commented her concern for his stamina only to be shrugged off. That was two hours ago, and not once had the Mercenary Queen see the green knight fall or stop to rest.

And lastly was that oddly shaped cube with multiple gemstones decorating it. At first she paid it no mind as she simply thought it were something of sentimental value to the large green knight or a family heirloom. She had nothing against it as she too had something of sentimental value in the form of her bandana which was given to her by her old friend Vult, leader of the Kuro Inu Mercenary Company.

That was until she felt a soothing energy flow from the cube that it somewhat calmed down the horses, including the one she was mounting. She may be no expert on magic, but she could tell that thing was dangerous in the wrong hands.

"Soooooo…" She drew out the word as the green knight slightly tilted his head looked at her whilst walking, "You got a name? I don't think calling you the Gore Knight would be a good idea when I introduce you to Lady Celestine."

The knight simply replied with silence, which got uncomfortable with each passing second. Then, after perhaps the longest nine seconds of her life, he simply looked forward once more, deliberately ending the conversation from there.

She frowned at this. By now, she could see the top of the walls surrounding Ken. By her estimates, she, her warrior band, and the Marine would get there in an hour or so.

Suddenly, the Marine pointed with his left hand (the right one simply holding his M40 SMG), and finally spoke up. "That the place?"

Maia blinked in surprise before nodding, an audible sound in her throat accompanying it.

"Yep, this is Ken. Capital of Eostia, central source of power for the Seven Shield Alliance, and home to Lady Celestine Lucullus herself. So," she glanced at the Marine as she continued, "What do you think? A little overwhelming perhaps?" She teased good-naturedly, a small smirk on her face.

To her surprise, the Marine simply shook his head and replied, "I've seen bigger places. They were grander, too." She pouted playfully in response. Well, at least he was talking more, she supposed.

Just as she had estimated, they had arrived to the main gates of the city within an hour's time. She saw multiple guards at the posts, each of them wearing lighter variations of the knights stationed in this grand city.

"Halt!" The head guard position called out, in which Maia and her band complied with. The Marine stopped too, but kept silent as his fingers were fiddling with his SMG. The man was ready for a fight if one should ever break out anytime now.

"State your business!" The head guard spoke in a loud voice so that everyone around him heard. Maia dismounted her horse and sashayed to the man.

"We're here on official business, Mister Guntrude." She said politely and gestured to her warrior band and the Marine. "We are under orders from Lady Celestine that we are to bring this man for reasons best left known only to her."

Quickly understanding, the head guard nodded to his men to open the gates. As Maia and her warrior band walked through, he said to Maia.

"Just make sure he causes no trouble, milady." Nodding, she flashed a toothy grin before mounting her horse.

She gestured the Marine to follow her, in which he complied in silence. As he passed the guards, some of them gagged at a smell coming from the Marine himself.

That's when Maia internally slapped herself. The Marine was still bloodied at some parts of his armor, namely his gauntlets, boots, and chest plate. Oh well, no use crying about something she ignored so she simply urged the Marine to pick up the pace.

As they had passed the streets of Ken, many were gawking and cheering as Maia passed them. Children even rushed to her for some pats on the head or some hair ruffling, in which she joyfully did so.

Maia also noticed that some of the adults, most notably the traveling merchants and even some of the knights were looking at her companion rather than her.

On horseback, she was taller by an inch or two when put beside the large green knight. But on her own, the large man outright dwarfed her and the members of her warrior band.

She heard the whispers of the adults as they passed by the bustling streets of the kingdom. _"I guess his reputation's well spread out."_ She mentally noted as she and her warrior band reached the steps to the palace with the Marine in tow.

This palace serves as Celestine's home for the past millenium, as well as serving as the main headquarters for the Seven Shield Alliance. Despite the years passing by, the palace remains as majestic as ever. It was the pinnacle of all things immaculate for many, with its tall and breathtaking architecture going up high into the sky. The entire castle was made out of marble, resulting in a beautiful white color that fills the people with hope. And thanks to the use of magic, the castle stands strong, requiring only repairs of the supernatural kind to fix if any flaw were to be shown.

But for the Marine, it was nothing compared to the things he'd seen, felt, experienced, and remembered throughout his dimensional travels. From the mundane highly advanced facilities of the UAC, to the spiraling dark citadels of Hell, to ancient ruins, and more, the Marine had pretty much seen it all.

Maia spoke up, grabbing his attention. "Okay, here's the deal when we get into Celestine's throne room. Don't do anything that might piss Claudia off in a second." Claudia? The Marine simply nodded in response as he walked up to the doors of the palace along with Maia, the rest of her warrior band deciding to hit the taverns for another job well done.

As soon as the two of them reached the palace doors, they were greeted by a man of average height with mocha brown skin dressed in your standard butler's outfit.

"Hey, Jamal, I'm here on official business with Lady Celestine." The butler, Jamal, nodded in response but raised an eyebrow at the Marine.

"Of course, Lady Maia… And this man?" he asked in a slightly nervous tone, shrinking in his place when the Marine's visor fell onto him. Maia saw the butler's nervousness and quickly explained.

"He's also on official business, don't worry about it." This calmed the butler down as he opened the doors, revealing a beautiful hallway decorated with a variety of gold, silver, bronze, and other rare metals and materials.

Again, the grandeur of the halls had nothing on the countless locations the Marine had visited across the multiverse. Still, he had to give credit where it is due and show some form of respect. And he did so by simply gazing over the multiple decorations and treasures displayed along the walls.

He hummed as he gazed over each and every one, the halls going by faster with each one he passed.

Maia smiled as she passed through the halls and kept up her pacing with that of the Marine's. _"At least the guy's warming up."_ She mused in her head as she looked at the back of the Marine's chest plate.

There were many odd things that stuck out to her. From the odd indents that shaped multiple circles on his back, each linked together by thin metal pieces, to the insignia she found branded onto the upper portion of the Gore Knight's left pauldron.

While the lettering was alien to her, she somehow understood them. The letters spelled out _UAC_. The symbol was a triangle with the points being replaced by slants and each side had odd shapes sticking out of them. Inside of the odd triangle was a circle surrounded by smaller triangles, these ones having rectangular holes in them. **(AN: If I didn't describe the UAC logo well, then I'm a shitty writer)**

She tried as she might to see if the logo ringed a bell so to speak in her mind. When her mind began to draw blanks, Maia's eyes narrowed slightly. Whoever this Gore Knight was, there is no doubt he works or had worked for a group completely unknown to anyone in the Seven Shield Alliance or their enemies.

Maia pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance, already sensing the paranoia from the other Princess Knights. An unknown group was the last thing anyone needs right now, especially during a war such as the one they were fighting in now.

Luckily, the Marine had not noticed her annoyance or had simply chosen to ignore it for more important matters at hand. Like finding where Celestine Lucullus is at.

After a minute or so of wandering the halls (meeting a few stationed guards along the way who either greeted Maia or kept silent at the Marine), the two of them finally reached the pair of doors that would lead into Celestine Lucullus's throne room, with two guards standing on either side. The Marine and Maia stood in front of the two beautifully carved doors, with the latter speaking to the former.

"You ready to meet Lady Celestine?" she was answered by a nod from the large man, in which she marched up towards the two guards by the doors.

"Good afternoon, sirs. I'm here on official business for Lady Celestine." The two guards tensed when they heard this, not so much from Maia but from her companion's staring.

"O-of course, Lady Maia." One spoke, but both of them wilted under the Marine's emotionless staring. It was made a bit worse as no one really saw his eyes from behind the visor.

Quiet as mice, the two guards placed their hands on the knobs and, with near synchronization, opened the doors to reveal the grand throne room.

Currently, only two people were in that very room. These two notable individuals were none other than Claudia Levantine, who stood by the throne's side with the alertness only veteran warriors could achieve, and Celestine Lucullus, who sat on her throne like a monarch of beauty.

Celestine was a fair and bountiful maiden in the eyes of many, both male and female, thanks to her perfect hourglass figure. She was tall at six feet and two inches thanks to her heels, having fair skin with no signs of flaw on them. Her flowing platinum blonde hair reached down to her feet (barely past the ankles), while her dark green eyes seemed to complete the image.

Her… dress, if you could even call it that (the Marine's eye twitched at the vulgar tone of it but steeled himself), barely covered her. The silk dress' white color did nothing to help conceal her as the parts that actually do cover her body were rather limited or lacking, covering only her breasts' nipples and the rather small area around each of them. There was a long piece of black silk, attached at the breast area via a golden ring, went down to cover her nether regions, the lower end of the cloth having a golden piece of jewelry with an emerald stone in the center of it. On each of her wrists were two golden bangles with one golden bangle on each of her upper arms. Her sandals had their wraps going up to just below her knees. There was also a wreath of mint-green leaves around her head, acting like a halo of sorts for this angelic beauty of Elven nature.

As they stepped into the room, there are two reactions. Claudia scowled for a brief second before recognizing Maia, and Celestine was… terrified? That expression alone didn't feel right with the Marine, as she was looking directly at him with that terror clear as day. He could see her trembling, although it was only noticeable to those who are really observant of everything.

[-]

"You should be resting, My Grace. It would do our people no good if you are to fall ill one of these days." Claudia reprimanded her, but she simply nodded, not really bothering to actually make a verbal response.

The past few nights had plagued her as of late. The visions that followed had her jumping at just about anything in fright, and it took the combined effort of Claudia, her Dawn Templars, and some of her guards to calm her down.

The things she'd seen, the places she'd threaded, and the voices she heard were all alien to her. One vision showed her a metal room filed with dark-colored pipes and oddly dressed men and women walking about chatting terms that confused her. Another showed her a dark cave made entirely of what appears and feels to be flesh.

The visions had taken a toll on her body and soul.

Her face was in disarray, with eye bags under her eyes and her hair being in disorder although that one wasn't too difficult to remedy as one can just use their fingers or a good comb or brush (the other two needed makeup for obvious reasons, the kind that concealed any flaws without the concealer being too obvious).

Before her friend could reprimand her more, the doors leading out of the throne room were opened by the two guards currently stationed outside.

"Lady Celestine, I'm back and I've brought the Gore Knight as requested, your Grace." Maia's words reached Celestine's ears and of those around her as the doors opened to reveal Maia and… She felt her breath hitch. Suddenly the makeup wasn't cutting it anymore.

No, it can't be…

Celestine started to shake but she was able to compose herself just in the nick of time, although her body still had a few trembles here and there. She couldn't believe it even if her own two eyes were looking directly at him. Entering alongside Maia was the very same individual who had appeared in her nightmare a few days ago.

He looked exactly like how she had seen him then. The gray helmet with the blue visor, the dark green chest plate and pauldrons, the silver gauntlets that reached his elbows with the vambraces but they lacked a couter, to the brown pants in armored pads and the dark brown boots.

Her eyes widened as the Marine's very presence seemed to suffocate her. His visor seemed to reflect everything in front of them, never revealing his eyes for all to see. It was scary, terrifying even.

She slightly shook herself out of her frightful state and noticed that the guards were still on edge.

"Thank you." She cleared her throat before continuing, "You are both dismissed, guardsmen." With salutes, the guards eased up and put away their weapons before leaving the throne room. Now there was only Maia, Celestine, Claudia, and the Marine in the room. The Dawn Templar leader stepped forward slightly, her hand resting on the grip of her sword. Maia, meanwhile, had taken her place beside Celestine.

The atmosphere was quite tense despite the sunny day outside. On one hand there was Celestine and Claudia, the former sitting in her throne with some fear creeping into her and the latter remaining vigilant, and on the other was Maia and the Marine, the Mercenary Queen somewhat sweating from the tense atmosphere and the Marine simply standing there menacingly with a slight lean on his posture.

Before anything negative could happen, Celestine broke the silence by clearing her throat.

"I… I've… I've heard about your exploits, good Sir." She said with a stutter at the beginning. The Marine's attention was immediately on her, causing her to flinch inwardly. "You've been slaying Orcs and even bandits for nearly a year throughout our fair land. The common folk have sung praises of you."

She was responded with silence for a few seconds before the Marine nodded his head lightly.

"Is that a problem?" His voice was a mix of gruff and raspy, as if the man hadn't spoken in a millennia's worth of time. His question seemed to irk Claudia, who had now revealed her blade and held it towards him with one hand.

"Show some respect, you insolent oaf! You are given the honor of standing before Celestine Lucullus herself, and I will not tolera-"

"Claudia!" Despite her soft tone, her firmness and authority made the Dawn Templar shut her mouth and sheath her blade, although she scowled at the Marine as if it was his fault in the first place.

The Goddess Reincarnated sent an apologetic smile at the Marine's way. "I apologize for my friend's ire, good Sir. She is just protective of me." The Marine simply nodded in response.

He knew what it was like. Having to escort someone fragile every now and then had given the Marine a sort of protectiveness towards them in a professional manner. Emotions were nonexistent when he does escort someone be it in the middle of a war zone or escaping someone's (or some_thing_'s) clutches.

He began to gaze around the area, taking in the décor. Claudia spoke, her tone disciplinarian.

"Do you now see the grace and beauty of this palace, cur?" To the females' collective surprise, the Marine shook his head.

"It's nothing compared to what I've seen." His voice had put Celestine and Claudia on edge. They expected him to be gruff, yes, but they never expected it to be raspy as well.

Regardless, Celestine smiled politely at the Marine. "What brings you here to our fair lands, good Sir?"

"The supernatural, Ma'am. Circumstances have led me and a few wayward souls to your lands for reasons I know jack shit about." He explained it as professionally as possible barring the swearing at the end.

Maia then spoke up. "So you and some people are here to get rid of the supernatural? What are you, some kind of exorcist?" The Marine shook his head at the first question but shrugged at the second.

"In a way, but everything I've done and seen's FUBAR to anyone that didn't do what I did." The three gave different signs of confusion at that strange word.

"Pardon me, good Sir, but what does this _'fubar'_ word mean?"

"Fucked-Up-Beyond-All-Reason, Ma'am." That was the response she got from the Marine.

"O-oh…" suddenly the quiet, awkward atmosphere returned, the only sound being the occasional winds moving the majestic blinds/curtains/drapes throughout the throne room.

It didn't last long, however, as the silence was broken by the Marine speaking up.

"If I'm not here to be tried, then there's something else you've brought me here for. I don't see why pretty girls like you would start chatting it up with someone like me." Claudia took offense to that 'pretty girl' comment and began to draw out her sword once more.

But before she could even let the blade out, Celestine raised a hand as she stood up.

"Again, I apologize for my friend's rash behavior." She spoke calmly and serenely to the large man in green. After making sure Claudia wouldn't act up again, she began once more.

"No, I did not bring you here to be tried for a crime, Sir Knight." Sir Knight? That's a new one. "But rather, I have a request to make." Subtly, the large man leaned forward, giving her the green light to continue.

"But before I make my request, I would like to ask for your name, Sir Knight." His eyes narrowed from behind his visor, clearly thinking it over.

After about five seconds, he spoke.

"You can call me the Marine for now." Blinking, the High Elf monarch asked the Marine.

"You do not have any other name, Sir Marine?"

"Don't 'sir' me, Ma'am. Just Marine suits me fine." The other two females blinked in surprise. Here was a man that preferred duty over lordship, someone that would rather continue on fighting than lording over the common folk.

Celestine herself blinked once more before she cleared her throat once and speaking her request.

"A-anyways, this mission is something that could end this war without so much more blood to be needlessly shed." She swore she saw the Marine's shoulders sagged just slightly before they were back in their positions. "By dawn on the morrow, you shall be joining the Kuro Inu into the Black Fortress. My task, if you shall lend your blade to this cause, is to head into the Black Fortress of the Garran Badlands and capture Olga Discordia to me unharmed."

[-]

The Marine stayed silent as he heard the last part of Celestine's request. This… was something he was no expert in. Send him to kill bandit tribes? You bet your ass he'll do it before breakfast is served. Kill greenskins and their allies? Consider it done and done. Raid a cave filled with monsters? It's already been cleared thrice.

But to capture the very leader of the enemy and bring her to the capital of Ken unharmed? The Marine exhaled quietly before he spoke to the queen of this kingdom.

He's heard of her, and the legends surrounding both her and Celestine. How the legends spoke of their battles shaking the heavens above and the underworld below. He scoffed at such exaggerations, for he knows Hell and Heaven have more horrifying things to fear than some best friends' quarrel.

"Why me? Someone else could do this job better than me."

"I-I'm sorry?" Celestine tilted her head in confusion.

"Why ask me, a stranger killing off Orcs and bandits? Anyone with a weapon can do that?" Celestine's head lowered, her hair shadowing her face from view.

"Truth be told, a vision came to me a few days ago." The Marine simply nodded, listening to her words.

"I saw a nightmarish landscape and an unending sea of monsters." Maia's eyebrows shot up to her hair while Claudia's eyes narrow, having heard this before.

"Then I saw you," everyone's attention was on Celestine at this point, "killing them all with no remorse or hesitation with the most bizarre of weapons." Claudia and Maia were outright shocked at what Celestine had revealed to them.

Celestine looked up to stare the Marine right into the eyes. "I saw you take on impossible odds where many would have fallen. My people have suffered over this long war, Sir Marine, so I ask- no! I _beg and plead_ to you, Sir Marine, that you put an end to this dreadful war. And I shall forever be in you debt."

The Marine kept silent, clearly thinking the words of the High Elf over.

The he spoke, his voice void of any emotion.

"Consider it done, Ma'am."

Celestine smiled as she did, while Claudia still scowled but was relieved that her queen and friend had brightened up in her mood so much so that her tired state had somehow vanished. Maia grinned at the Marine's answer.

"If that's all, I'll be prepping for the mission if you don't mind." He said.

"It is getting a bit late," Celestine said as it was nearing dusk judging by the dull orange skies outside, "I shall have a servant ready a room for you. We will discuss more when Master Vult and his warrior band arrive on the morrow." The Marine nodded and turned on his heel to leave.

As soon as the doors slammed shut, Celestine released a breath she was holding as she leaned into her throne. She clutched her face with a dainty hand.

There were many ways she could have ended the war, but she always was a person that considered the most peaceful options available and never had she made any violent options be done first even if nothing else could be done.

As she removed her hand, she saw both Claudia and Maia looking at her expectantly.

"Let's go for a stroll, my friends." With that said she rose from her throne and began to walk down the steps. Not ones to disappoint their highness, the Dawn Templar and the Mercenary Queen followed close behind, all three of them former a triangle of sorts with Celestine at the front and with either of them at the sides.

Their stroll around the castle led them to the eternally beautiful gardens, but the three were silent all the way. The only sounds that did accompany them were those of their footwear on the stony floors or carpeted walks.

Just as they had reached the gardens, Maia had spoken out. "You really do have your ways of surprising people, your Grace." With a cheeky grin, she added, "Not every day you get a vision about some big guy taking on a demon army."

"Indeed," Claudia decided to put in her two cents into the conversation, "still, I must object his presence, Milady. That man, he felt… wrong." This caught Maia's interest.

"You've noticed it too, Claudia?" She received a hum and a nod in response. By now, the three fair maidens were in the center of the gardens which has a fountain that has a statue of a beautiful Elven maiden holding out her arms in a comforting manner.

"I had, and I worry for anyone that has been near him. That includes you, Maia." She received a snort in response.

"Aw shucks, I didn't know you were concerned about li'l ole' me, Claudia. And here I thought all you care about was that stick up your ass." She received a harsh glare from the Dawn Templar, which just fueled up her playfulness by a degree.

"Still," she said, "I noticed it too. The guy's pretty silent, well-built, and perfect for a mercenary or a soldier role…" She got silent for a few seconds before continuing, "but the guy's presence was really disturbing, I'll tell you that much."

"I agree with you, Maia, that man is a danger. Milady," she called out to Celestine, who was busy running a hand across the smooth surface of the fountain, "I pray that you are doing the right thing for our people."

Celestine smiled softly but held a hint of sadness in them.

"You've been with him the longest out of the three of us, Maia. What can you tell us about our new friend?" At that question, Maia's playful smirk had disappeared completely.

"Well, for starters… the guy's quiet, unbearably so." Celestine and Claudia both nodded, having just experienced that a few minutes ago. "When he speaks, he prefers to get to the point. No jokes, no playful remarks, nothing. All business and no play." She shuddered briefly.

"Then there was his gaze. It was dead and alive all at once, it was so confusing." She continued talking.

"I've seen many men who are fearless, and many more that are afraid of what lurks behind shadows. But that guy? No macho act, no fear coming from him at all. I couldn't get a read on anything but one thing." That piqued the other two's interest.

"And what would that be?" Maia turned to Claudia, who was standing beside Celestine as usual. She replied to her in a humorless tone.

"Rage. I felt the crazy amounts of rage coming from that guy. He reins that in, but some just gets out that every animal in my warrior band was afraid of him."

Celestine and Claudia looked at one another in surprise before having the same thought.

"_Just what has been unleashed?"_

* * *

-The Marine's new quarters/Nighttime-

The Marine had settled into his bed in his new room. It was Spartan in decorations, just a single bed with a desk and two chairs. The only sources of light were from the lamp that was recently lighted and the multiple glowing areas on his armored vest.

He had already placed the Soul Cube on the desk, the Martian weapon glowing briefly before lying dormant once more.

But instead of sleeping right off the bat, he began to inspect some of his weapons. Taking out the DS-117 Combat Shotgun first, he began to do a maintenance check on the weapon. His Argent Accumulators might repair any damages on his weapons, but it never harmed to do the maintenance himself every now and then.

The shotgun was personalized heavily all by himself. Its pistol grip, buttstock, and pump were made out of carbon fiber and customized to look like each of them was made out of wood. Its' metal frame was colored in a cobalt blue steel, which gave of a slight reflection of the lamp's flame as he had inspected it. The drum magazine was something he had found during his second main skirmish down into Hell's dark pits, and has served him well since. Despite being labeled as a drum magazine, it was actually a quad-stack magazine, with the two inner stacks holding eight shells each while the outer stacks held seven shells each, totaling out to thirty 8-Gauge Magnum Shells per drum. **[AN: Imagine the DOOM 2016 Shotgun in the colors of the Doom 64 Shotgun (cobalt blue for the metal body and dark brown for the stock, grips {both pistol grip and pump grip} and buttstock) and add a really thick shotgun box magazine of any kind if you have a hard time picturing it]**

After reassembling the weapon and putting it beside one of the wooden legs of the bed, he moved over to his M4 Devastator Heavy Machine Gun. The weapon was blocky in shape and tan in color with a few dark brown pieces to accentuate its looks.

The weapon had also served him well. It was his favorite weapon during his days in the UN Marine Corps to the fuck ups that were the Phobos and Deimos moon bases and to many more conflicts beyond, with its .50-caliber High Explosive Armor Piercing rounds gibbing any target he had set his sights on to, armored or not. Its scope had helped him in engaging any target from far away while its Micro Missile pods helped him out greatly in close quarters. He never really understood how a belt-fed gun such as this be turned into a closed-bolt firearm but he simply ignored it. If a weapon can help him kill things quick, then who was he to complain?

The room was quiet save for the sounds of various weapons being cleaned inspected and dry-fired (an act where the shooter takes an empty gun, inspects it for any errors before pulling the trigger to see if it can cycle properly) by the Marine.

An hour or so had passed before the Marine had kept away his weapons into the pocket dimension. Despite that, he never felt tired. The energy flowing through his veins made sure of that. Instead of moping about it, however, he simply did what he always does prior to any mission during his time in the UN Marine Corps and in the UAC's employ.

Training.

He started out simple with two hundred (200) push-ups, followed by the same amount of sit-ups and jumping jacks. He repeated the process until midnight had come, the planet's full moon shining brightly in the starry sky. By that time, he was practicing his hand-to-hand fighting abilities with a few hard punches and kicks aimed at thin air.

By the time he was done, it was an hour past midnight. The Marine felt like this would be enough for now and began to lie down in his bed.

Taking off his armored vest, gauntlets, paddings and helmet, the Marine began to sleep soundly.

As he began to rest, the Soul Cube, which was dormant during the course of his training, had awoken in a sense. Then it spoke, its voice sounding like hundreds of whispering phantoms.

"_**The others… we sense them… approaching…"**_ That was all that the strange Martian artifact said before going dormant once again.

* * *

-Celestine's dreamscape-

_Her dark emerald eyes opened once more to see the nightmarish landscape again. Her breath hitched in her throat, remembering the last time she was her. But the area felt… different somehow to her eyes._

_Compared to the gray brimstone land she had first witnessed the Marine taking on the demon army, this area was oddly brown in color much like the deserts to the Southern West portion of Eostia. This area was a canyon of sorts compared to the mountainous area of her first nightmare/vision._

_Eyes gazing at everywhere around her, she eventually found something that drew her in. It was a stone structure of sorts, oval-like in shape and with multiple insect-like legs sticking out and grasping inwards, like a hand holding an object. Celestine was again fearful of what this object was, but can't help but be drawn to the green-glowing symbol etched into it._

_It looked like it was forming the letter _D_ with a few etches around it. Whatever the symbol was, its presence alone somehow soothed her._

_Then, like a curious little child at a store filled with their favorite things, Celestine reached out with one hand and touched the symbol._

_It was there that the symbol had glowed blindingly, causing her to jump away from the stone structure in surprise. But the damage was already done. Reaching her ears was a voice, thick and gravely. Like a demon's voice if she heard a horrid thing as that speak before._

_ **\- [IN THE FIRST AGE, IN THE FIRST BATTLE…] -** _ _ Celestine clamped her eyes shut and tried to block out the voice by covering her ears once more. But the voice was no longer speaking into her ears. It was already inside her mind like the horrid thing it was._

_ **\- [WHEN THE SHADOWS FIRST LENGTHENED, ONE STOOD…] -** _ _ The sound of thunder caused Celestine to open her eyes and see a familiar figure. It was the Marine, this time he held a familiar weapon in one hand which was a diamond blue greatsword as he fought valiantly against another group of demons, this one consisting of the lean monsters in brown and blue and the pink bull-like monsters._

_ **\- [BURNED BY THE EMBERS OF ARMAGEDDON, HIS SOUL BLISTERED BY THE FIRES OF HELL AND TAINTED BEYOND ASCENSION, HE CHOSE THE PATH OF PERPETUAL TORMENT…] - ** _ _She saw the Marine quickly cut down the demon group's smaller members before his greatsword disappeared in a flash of blue (which surprised her greatly) and was replaced by an odd contraption that launched fast streaks of light that tore through the bull-like monsters._

_A flash of light had taken Celestine by surprise and by the time her vision cleared she was watching another fight taking place. This fight was in an odd city of sorts, with various stone buildings towering over her and possibly any noble house in Eostia barring the royal palaces._

_ **\- [IN HIS RAVENOUS HATRED, HE FOUND NO PEACE…] –** _ _ The Marine moved swiftly, his contraption switched out for a smaller contraption that barked loudly and fired even faster streaks that outright destroyed the upper torsos of his enemies. Celestine watched the monsters fall and gasped in awe and terror of the weapons that the large green knight had in his possession._

_ **\- [AND WITH BOILING BLOOD HE SCOURED THE UMBRAL PLAINS SEEKING VENGEANCE AGAINST THE DARK LORDS WHO HAVE WRONGED HIM…] –** _ _ The scene changed again and Celestine saw the back of the Marine as he was on his knees, surrounded by dead bodies of humans and demons alike whilst clutching a small person's body close to his chest. Walking around to get a closer look, she saw the two bodies he was clutching to his chest closely were that of a young girl and in her arms was a dead rabbit, its brown fur stained with its own blood and of those around it._

_She felt tears running down her cheek when she saw the dead girl's lifeless eyes gaze directly at the Marine, as if blaming him for her death. The Marine started to shake, whether in sadness or anger she was uncertain._

_Then the Marine reared his head back and roared to the heavens above, wordless and primal as he did. The raw rage emanating from his roar alone made the Goddess Reborn take a few steps back, the sounds causing her body to tremor with each step she took backwards._

_She couldn't take it anymore and began to weep uncontrollably. Over the ten centuries/one millenium of fighting, she had seen many horrible things that had happened over the course of this feud between her own Alliance and the Demon Armies of the North led by Olga. She had seen families separated from their loved ones, the raped bodies of women, children and even men, and had seen the aftermath of brutal executions._

_But she and her Alliance had endured them all, each failure simply motivating them to find an end to this war as soon as possible._

_But everyone had their limits, and it looks like Celestine had reached hers at this point._

_ **\- [HE WORE THE CROWN OF THE NIGHT SENTINELS…] –** _ _ The scene had changed once again to show the Marine standing in the center of a group of individuals, each of them wearing an odd assortment of clothing and wielded familiar and odd weapons alike. It was here that Celestine saw that same symbol on the upper left portion of his helmet, right where the forehead would be._

_She saw the Marine yell a wordless roar once more as he and the odd group charged against a more massive horde of demons. They were far too many and they were far too mixed in for her to properly distinguish each individual species._

_ **\- [AND THOSE WHO TASTED THE BITE OF HIS SWORD NAMED HIM…] –** _ _ She witnessed the Marine decapitate a large pink Minotaur before jumping up and switching away his weapon for a demonic cannon that started firing a thin red ray of light that sliced through the demon ranks as his followers (how she assumes them as such) took out any stragglers that the ray of light had missed._

_Soon she found herself staring up to the Marine as he stands atop a pile of rotting demon bodies firing one of his contraptions from before, which was the tan blocky weapon, at the demons that tried to climb the pile and attack him._

_ **\- [THE DOOM SLAYER] –** _ _ The demon's voice had stopped narrating as Celestine saw the Marine and his followers standing triumphant as many dead bodies of the massive demon army surrounded them._

* * *

-The Next Day-

The Marine woke up at around five in the morning according to his helmet's HUD as it displayed the time on its visor as the helmet stayed on the desk. Seeing that it was still dark, he began to start the day training in unarmed combat.

Soon, the room was filled with the sounds of air being displaced and of fists and feet impacting against thin air. This continued over two hours until the Marine stopped, his muscles tense from the recent warm-up. He tensed up and readied himself into a fighting stance once more as the only door of his room opened to reveal a young maid (possibly around the later adolescent/teenage years by his estimates) holding the door's knob in one hand and a tray of food on the other.

"Y-your food, s-sir…" She meekly stated as her cheeks darkened with red. She had been given the task of delivering the food to the Marine earlier under the orders of the Goddess herself, so she complied with no hesitation. What she didn't expect however was that the Marine had a body fit for a god and was already up and awake for some time, to which she blushed when her eyes saw his form being accentuated by his attire.

His face was obscured by shadows however, which disappointed her but she wisely not let it show lest she conjure the large man's rage.

The Marine simply nodded his thanks, took the food and their respective plates from the tray and dismissed the young maid before closing the door gently. As he ate, the Marine's sharp hearing picked up on the sounds of hooves and feet travelling together. Quickly finishing up, he donned his armor and helmet and took out his DS-117 Combat Shotgun from subspace as he exited the room. Heading down the flight of steps, the Marine can see a massive band of warriors either on foot or on horseback heading towards the palace directly. The men of this band wore green leather vests, brown pants and boots as their main attire in addition to many pieces of armor on their body. He also saw the symbol of a black dog emblazoned on the chest, and he immediately recognized them.

These were the Kuro Inu, and it appears that they were late.

* * *

**Aaaand chapter again! WOW! I AM ON A ROLL BOYS AND GIRLS! 20 pages and over 9k words, holy shit!**

**Yes, I am aware that Flynn talks during this chapter, but I did my best to keep it to a minimum, so don't expect him to start going on a monologue of how bad he's got it (pretty sure we've had enough of emo characters already).**

**Next chapter, the Doom Marine meets the Kuro Inu mercenary company and Vult (I named it Kuro Inu because I like it better than Black Dogs) and goes into the Black Fortress to capture Olga Discordia. I won't beat around the bush here; Doomguy will probably just shoot Vult or obliterate his pathetic excuse of a manhood with the chainsaw (GREAT COMMUNICATOR!) or his bare fists later on in the story (not next chapter, because it'll be boring now, would it?).**

**EDIT: Removed** The Unmaker** from the items Doomguy got from the chest to balance him out a bit.**


	3. 02: Nigrum Fortuna Mutare ad Adventum

**DOOM: Puer Infernalis**

**Sweet baby Jesus high on crack! I did not expect this story to be THAT good! So here's another chapter like a bat outta hell, so enjoy you glorious sons of bitches and beautiful daughters of bastards!**

* * *

[Chapter 2: _Nigrum Fortuna; Mutare ad Adventum_/_The Black Fortress; The Coming Change_]

-Seven Shield Alliance Capital of Ken-

By the time the Kuro Inu had arrived by the footsteps leading up to Celestine's palace, the Marine was already by the doors. His arms were crossed, his DS-117 Combat Shotgun was slung over his back, and he held a face of annoyance under his helmet. And the source of his annoyance just so happens to be the very same large band of warriors currently walking up to the palace gates.

His eyes could see their leader approaching the gates and smooth-talking his way past guards in an overconfident manner.

This man was tall, around six feet and three inches, with tanned skin coloring his muscular frame. His face sported a single large scar that diagonally went down to the left, barely missing the left eye. He had dull scarlet eyes and dull grayish brown hair, while his beard was kept to a shadow and his mustache kept the same manner/way.

The man wore a black tunic with his lower wear consisting of dark brown baggy pants with the portion on the knees and below the knees being encased in metal boots (steel, the Marine's HUD indicated) that clanked softly on the paved walkway and footsteps. His right hand was covered in a dull bluish gray glove with a metal brace of equal color around his wrist, while his left forearm and hand were covered by a gauntlet (sans the vambrace and couter) of the same color providing the only source of protection in that area of his body. On his back was a dull maroon cape that was currently flowing naturally with the wind.

The Marine can only see one weapon visible, that being the rather massive sword on the man's back. It was the same size as the man (if you include the grip and taller if you include the pommel shaped like a circular shovel-like piece), with the blades being a light obsidian.

He also saw the sole pauldron on the man's left shoulder, light obsidian with a red piece of metal attached showing a sideways view of a dog's head in black with a miniature greatsword just beside its neck position.

This was Vult, the leader of the Kuro Inu mercenary company and a decorated war veteran.

On his right was a man (at six feet straight) with brown hair and brown eyes wearing a green leather jacket over nothing, this exposed his bare muscular chest for all to see while wearing light blue pants and brown near-knee-length boots. Two shortswords were tucked into his belt, positioned to where he can draw them at a moment's notice.

This was Hicks, Vult's second in command and trusted ally.

On Vult's left was a young man (standing at five feet and nine inches) who wore a cerulean tunic with indigo sides separated with golden lines, worn under an indigo cape that covered his neck. He wore black pants with near-knee-length boots for his lowers, while on each wrist were two black braces attached to one another. His light brown hair and green eyes were completed with some circular glasses.

This was Kin, the Kuro Inu's resident mage.

By the time he was finished looking over the three big dogs of the group, he heard multiple footsteps from behind him. Without even turning to face them, he could already tell that Maia, Claudia, and Celestine were approaching with a handful of their elite guards.

"Oh! I did not expect you to be up so early, Sir Marine." Celestine's serene voice reached his ears as the High Elf looked up to him from the side. He simply grunted in response before cracking his knuckles and pulling out his Combat Shotgun. Granted there were other weapons more suited for taking on a massive horde, but one can't deny the sweet feeling of holding a pump-action shotgun in your hands.

Still, he simply held the weapon in one hand and to his side, not really feeling the need to use the weapon for now.

Maia took notice of the large gun and inquired with a question.

"What happed to that other thingamajig, big guy?" Her question sparked Claudia's and Celestine's own interests as well.

"What are you talking about, Maia?" Instead of an answer from the Mercenary Queen, the Gore Knight answered with his free hand forming tiny glowing blue cubes rapidly taking shape of an odd-looking object. In less than a second, his left hand was now holding his M40 SMG before it disappeared a second later.

Multiple swords being unsheathed rang out within the small vicinity around them as the Dawn Templars and Maia's warrior band had drawn their assortment of finely made blades.

He internally scoffed. Over the many millennia of chasing all sorts of foes, any human-made attack seemed to outright bounce off of him. Sure, he could feel the impacts, but they were nothing more than distractions now. Had he arrived to Eostia as a simple Marine and not some… he shook his head. Had he arrived to this dimension's continent as he had started out, they might have had a chance of harming him.

To ease their worries and hostilities, the Marine simply made his M40 SMG disappear via breaking the compact weapon down into tiny glowing blue cubes before they were absorbed into his Argent Accumulators.

He turned his head slightly to the right and spoke in a rhetorical manner.

"That answer your question?" Maia dumbly nodded, speechless at what he had just done. Claudia, on the other hand, was pretty much pissed at the Marine as she had drawn her decorative sword at him.

"What manner of sorcery was that?! Answer me, cur!" He simply shrugged off her hostility and looked back at the now-nearing mercenary group. He rested the top of his DS-117 Combat Shotgun against his shoulder while his free left hand clenched and unclenched rhythmically. Celestine quickly acted and told those that drew their weapons to sheath them for now which they complied with no complaints (although some, like Claudia and Eliza, were reluctant and a bit hostile towards the Marine).

By now, the guards outside the gates had let the Kuro Inu inside to palace walls.

Vult, along with Hicks, Kin and some of his men, were directly marching towards Celestine and her group. When he had reached the steps, he called out in a charismatic yet hard tone fitting for a veteran of war and a commander of a group.

"Lady Celestine, Your Grace, it is good to meet you once again and gracing us with your presence." He greeted kindly and bowed in respect. As soon as he was done, he nodded to Claudia (who simply nodded back with a blank stare) before setting his eyes onto Maia's form.

"Maia, it's good to see that you're still up and at 'em." Maia playfully winked at the mercenary leader, but the Marine could feel some emotion from her action, something beyond a petty crush type of affection.

"Master Vult," Celestine began, "I've heard that your defense of the borders were successful." Vult smirked in response to the praise.

"Aye, we kicked the horde's asses so hard back into the Badlands that I swear they were growing tails between their legs."

"And yet you didn't finish them off." The Marine muttered, but it was loud enough for Vult and the others to hear.

"Oh? And who the fuck are you?" Hicks rudely stated as his hands were tucked into the pockets of his pants and had a bit of a slouch on him as he approached the Marine. Hicks was about to grab the Marine by the collar only for said giant of a man to beat him to the punch as he grabbed the man by the throat and raised him about three feet from the ground.

He panicked and immediately went for one of his shortswords only to stop as the Marine stared intently from behind his visor. The fact that his eyes are completely hidden and that the visor reflects everything in front of it with perfect clarity, Hicks could see nothing but his own frightened visage.

Luckily, Celestine was able to defuse the situation before anything horrid could happen by placing a hand on the Marine's arm and speaking up with authority. "Let him go, Sir Marine." He did after a few more seconds of making the rude dumbass gasp for air in his grasp.

Hicks fell and was about to make a move against the large man once more only to be stopped by Celestine, who spoke to quickly defuse the situation.

"This is Marine, all of you may know of him as the Gore Knight." At this point, many of the Kuro Inu were murmuring to one another at this revelation.

Hicks scowled but wisely backed off and took his place at Vult's side, although he sneered one last time at the Marine. Kin's eyebrow raised in piqued interest while Vult's smirk seemed to get bigger and show off some of his white teeth.

"Aye, I've heard of this man." He walked up to the Marine, who simply was taller than him or anyone else in his mercenary company.

"Appeared over a year ago and has been killing off Orcs and their allies left and right. I've heard you took out some big names around the Badlands. Argus, Thrax the Desolator, and even Grom the Butcher, all dead because of you." The Marine simply grunted before speaking.

"So they had names?" He never really cared who they were, just cared about how they'll be dealt with. Vult simply laughed in response.

"I like this guy already!" Vult patted the Marine on the right pauldron, who simply grunted once more in response before he went off to the side for a bit. The Marine's eyes scanned over the members of the Kuro Inu, each one of them feeling uneasy under the large man's gaze.

He can tell so many of them will die. Whether from the journey to the Badlands, the Badlands' inhabitants, or from him, he couldn't tell. His eyes continued scanning them for any real threat until he was outright bored from watching them all.

Kin took notice to the large weapon resting against his shoulder and voiced his curiosity. "What kind of odd staff is that?" The Marine simply turned his head to the young mage and replied with a gruff voice.

"It's a shotgun. It shoots thing dead." With that, the Marine ended any future conversation coming from his lips. Although what he had said confused everyone greatly. _"Whatever land this foreigner came from, they must be more powerful than anyone in Eostia."_ Claudia narrowed her eyes as she thought.

Luckily, Celestine was able to find her voice once again and gave her orders to Vult and his men.

"A-anyways, Master Vult, I need you and your army to assault the Black Fortress and capture Olga Discordia." Vult blinked, not exactly expecting those words from the Goddess Reborn.

"Oh? So this act may end the war, Your Grace?" Celestine nodded at Vult's question.

"Too much blood has been spilled, Master Vult. Too many lives taken, far more devastated. If you are successful in your mission, I shall pay you handsomely that it may last for as long as you live." The Marine scoffed internally, slinging over the shotgun and crossing his arms.

Typical monarchs, always persuading those beneath their social class with things of monetary value.

Then, his ears picked up on the gates opening again, revealing a group of women in… what he could only hope was magic armor for their lack of actual protection. Maia took notice of the newcomers and gave a playful smirk.

"Well, well, well! Looks like I won the bet, Alicia." She placed her hands on her hips as the smirk became a toothy grin.

Vult, the Marine, Celestine, Claudia and the others looked to where Maia was looking and gave different reactions.

Vult had a smile on his face; one put on for show and held no genuine pleasure. Celestine was surprised in a good way while Claudia simply nodded at the newcomers, although she did have a small smile gracing her lips. Some of the Kuro Inu sneered but all kept silent, with Hicks changing from rude to faux-happy and Kin simply raised an eyebrow. The Marine… was outright furious but showed it not as he looked upon the Iris Knights and their leader Alicia Arcturus. His fury was lowered to a calm demeanor when he saw two people that he was well-acquainted with.

Stepping past Vult and anyone else in his way, the Marine stops just in front of the Iris Knights, who had their swords readied in case of an attack from him.

[-]

Alicia clicked her tongue in annoyance once she saw the large man in green chest plate stop in front of them. Had this man no sense of chivalry? She was about to speak up when someone else beat her to it.

"Hey Flynn-Flynn! Fancy seeing you here." The Angel of Death, Jung Hae-Lin, walked past the Iris Knight and gave a (normally) bone-crushing hug to the large man identified as 'Flynn-Flynn' and nuzzling her face into his stomach (that was covered in an black tunic that was tight and showed off his muscles). The large man returned the gesture by lightly patting the Angel of Death's head with one hand before speaking with one word.

"Corzo."

"Flynn." The Drifter, Corzo White, greeted back as he crossed his arms. "I didn't expect you to be here in Ken." Flynn shrugged at this and spoke.

"What took you so long?" Corzo gestured to the Iris Knights.

"They had some tro'ble 'long the way. Wild horses, bandits, y'name it." He drawled out as he tapped Hae-Lin, who perked up from burying her face deeper into Flynn's gut.

"Yes?"

"Enough with the huggin', lass. Righ' now, we got business apparently with some high girl name-"

"Celestine Lucullus?" Flynn noticed that Alicia had her full attention on him once he had finished speaking their Alliance's leader's name.

"So it appears that others have been chosen as well. By any chance, you are the Gore Knight, are you?" Alicia asked with a sharp tone in her voice. The Marine simply nodded in response.

Cute, looks someone was too dedicated to their job. The Marine began to crack his knuckles, the sound reverberating around them

Corzo spoke up, wanting to clarify things before a misunderstanding took place.

"She's with us, Flynn, n'need to be… excessive. Save that for… real extremities, y'hear?" Without replying, the large man simply nodded before proceeding to remove Hae-Lin from hugging his stomach to oblivion (if such a thing were possible).

By now, the Iris Knights along with Claudia's Dawn Templars and Maia's warrior band were around them watching the exchange.

"Oh! So it appears that you are all acquainted with one another now," Celestine's voice reached their ears as she, Claudia, Maia, Vult, Hicks, and Kin had rushed past the circle of warriors and approached the four in the middle of it all.

Locking eyes with Alicia, the Goddess Reborn addressed her.

"It is good to see you again, Alicia. Was your journey here well?" she spoke like a mother tending to her child. The Iris Knight nodded before making her reply.

"Our journey was safe, Milady Celestine. For the most part, if it weren't for these two attracting bandits to us every few hours. My women are exhausted because of their shenanigans."

Celestine blinked in surprise when she saw the Drifter and the Angel of Death standing by the Marine. She had heard of who they were and even saw the surprisingly accurate sketches of what they looked like.

"Howdy, I'm guessin' you're the head honcho here." The Drifter began as he approached Celestine and greeted her with a tip of his hat that obscured his face thanks to its shadow. He gestured with one gloved hand to the Angel of Death, who waved at her in a friendly manner.

"That li'l lass o'er there's the Angel of Death, pretty sure y'know o' her already. I'm pretty sure y'met our friend the Marine." She nodded to the Drifter's words.

Claudia, on the other hand, had drawn her sword on the Marine and was about to reprimand and/or attack him…

Only for him to grab the blade with his bare hand (technically, it's covered by his gauntlet) and crushed it with ease. Everyone native to Eostia watched bug-eyed as the Marine simply dropped what used to be a sword and now a deformed hunk of junk.

[-]

That felt… oddly satisfying. He saw the fear on that stuck-up woman's eyes clear as crystal when he crushed her pathetic sword with his bare hand.

He watched the woman known as Claudia step back from him while the others looked on with shock and terror mixed finely.

He tuned out everything as he hummed softly, scanning the area with his gaze. He could see Celestine calming everyone down and introducing them to Corzo and Hae-Lin, no doubt also briefing the two of them for the coming mission. He could clearly see the looks the Kuro Inu's men barring Vult, Hicks and Kin were giving Hae-Lin, who simply paid them no mind as she nodded to every time Celestine stopped speaking her orders.

He just hopes no complications happen on the way to the Black Fortress.

* * *

-En Route to the North Badlands/Two days later-

Flynn Taggert growled at what appeared to be the hundredth time as another complication had befallen on him, Corzo, Hae-Lin and the Kuro Inu. After getting them acquainted with their new companions, the Kuro Inu had departed late in schedule with three extra set of hands to lend themselves to the mission.

And over the course of two days, things have gotten… complicated (he was using that word very lightly here). Ranging from men falling ill, to bandit raids (which he, Corzo, or Hae-Lin countered as quickly as possible with their melee options), to attacks from Orc war bands, and the deadly Garran atmosphere, the Kuro Inu had lost at least two hundred of their men out of the one thousand they originally had.

This complication fit the minor ones as it seemed that another horse had gone loose and had bucked off its rider. Luckily, Corzo was on the job and had managed to hold down the wild beast with one of his whips and tame it quickly.

Flynn also noticed the buffalo-like skull beside his leather bag along with an intricately carved wooden staff with a ruby gem on the top. It appears that Corzo's bringing out the big guns in the form of the Mask of Basilissa and the Gate of Anthrakia.

He didn't complain however as he also brought his big guns such as the Chainsaw currently on his back alongside his DS-117 and the Crusader Sword in his left hand. And from the looks of it, so did Hae-Lin as she currently had the Omen war maul in her right hand in addition to her Kharon. He could even sense the energy signature of the Iron Savior armor.

They looked so out of place when brought next to the Kuro Inu. With Hae-Lin's short stature mixed with her large weapons, Corzo's nomadic getup and finally Flynn's own set of modified UAC Combat Marine armor, the three stood out like sore thumbs to many people.

Still, he perished the thought as he walked in the back with his two companions. This was surprising for many of the mercenary band, with Vult offering them horses to ease the journey.

To his surprise, the three declined and had preferred to walk.

That was two days ago, and not once have any of the three warriors have suffered from any problem. Not once had they stop to rest, they only did so to let the Kuro Inu catch up to them. Eventually, once they got to the Badlands, they decided to be on the rear in case of any ambushes from the Demon Army.

Right now, he was by a tree on a little hill inspecting the individual teeth of his chainsaw. The serrated edges of each tooth were lined with obsidian and some conductive metal connected to a recharging battery within the chainsaw's main body that reinforces the teeth and the guide bar along with running an alternating current, effectively turning the weapon into a high-frequency chainsaw that can slice through the cells of anything quickly but it drains the fuel twice as fast compared to the standard mode. It was a modification he encountered on Earth made by some genius. Too bad the guy that made the new teeth had died from his own creation by the Marine's actions. In Flynn's defense, the guy was already possessed when he got there.

The fuel counter still was at 86%. He'll have to remedy that by killing most of the greenskins with it. The Great Communicator still had the ability to convert blood (originally, he thought only the blood of demons worked, but apparently any blood worked just as fine as any other) into ammunition, health charges, and armor charges.

The length of the chainsaw's guide bar plus the tips of the outermost tooth measured to a total four feet/forty-eight inches and was around six inches wide. It was a full foot longer than a bastard sword, giving him ample room from himself and any poor fuck that gets the misfortune of getting caught by the teeth of the large weapon.

Hearing footsteps, the Marine turned his head to see Hicks approaching him with a friendly smile on his face. The Marine remembered him, how he squirmed and struggled when he had nearly crushed his throat. What's he doing here?

"That's an interesting sword you've got in your hands, buddy." He kept silent and continued to sharpen the ever-sharp teeth of his chainsaw. Hicks's eyes scanned the weapon, taking in the blocky yellow guard and the black grip that was around two feet in length.

"Do you mind if I…" the rogue trailed off his words as he tried to be friendly. The Marine was tempted to say no, but he remembered how backwater this world was.

Holding out the ripping weapon sideways, Flynn offered the weapon to Hicks. The rogue took it, and the Marine got a chuckle in his mind as the rogue had fallen from the sheer weight of the weapon.

It was all fine and dandy until Hicks's fingers graced the teeth-

_Brum!_ _Brum!_ _BRUM!_ _BRUM!_ _BRRRUUUUUUUMMMM_ _!_

_SCREEEE!_

_GREEZEMORTAL!_

_KYAAAAARGH!_

"_**Drop it."**_

-Hicks immediately dropped the large sword and jumped back. His face broadcasted the fear evident in him as his eyes wildly stared into the Marine's visor to see his own frantic expression.

"What the hell was that?!" He yelled in shock while the Marine kept silent as he grabbed the weapon and held it with one hand.

"What was what?"

"That! I touched the blade and I heard screams!"

"I heard nothing." By now, the Marine was leaving the little hill and the rogue to an extent. Hicks simply threw his arms up in frustration as he screamed in annoyance. After reining in his anger, the resident rogue of the Kuro Inu had calmed down eventually and began to head straight for the main tent housing his leader.

[-]

"So how's our man in green, Hicks?" Vult's voice had calmed down the rogue. He sighed as he sat on one of the seats.

"You can convince him, right?" The rogue asked the veteran warrior, which confused the latter.

"What brought that up?" Kin asked while still reading his spell-book. Originally, he was supposed to scout out the large man in green before Hicks had taken that job to settle a score so to speak. Judging from how Hicks came back looking like the Devil sucked him dry, looks like that score will never be settled by the rogue. "Celestine recommended him and his two friends, what would be problematic from that?"

A fist slammed into the table, nearly toppling over multiple pieces and disrupting the map.

"The fucker's crazy! His damn blade's possessed!" Vult waved off his worry.

"Please, if a blade's possessed, he'd kill all of us by now. Assuming he could get past our numbers." Vult's smirk became fierce. "Besides, we're all crazy if we're gonna go up against the most dangerous woman in the land."

"You should calm down, Hicks," Kin condescendingly spoke to the rogue, "you look like shit."

"Back off, you ass." Hicks growled at the bespectacled man as he got up and marched out of the tent. "No way in hell am I going near that bastard ever again."

As he left, Vult and Kin gave each other knowing looks and nodded to one another.

[-]

Two more days had passed and they were nearing the Black Fortress, more complications had befallen on them. Again, it was men falling ill, bandits raiding (though their numbers were little, thanks to the life-draining atmosphere of Garran), and more Orc attacks. But the Kuro Inu trudged forth, not ones to be denied of sweet victory. Meanwhile, three individuals had differing yet similar reasons. Flynn wanted to finish the mission as soon as possible and capture Olga Discordia for Celestine Lucullus, Corzo wanted to breathe in the oddly-captivating scent Garran's atmosphere held as he guns down greenskins, while Hae-Lin simply wanted to take her frustration out on something nonhuman.

Flynn, as of now, had walked up to Corzo and Hae-Lin, both of them also doing maintenance on their weapons.

Corzo twirled the Gate of Anthrakia like a marching band leader before he slung it over his back, and strapped to his sides were the M12 Grasa SMGs. They were interesting copies of the venerable M3 Grease Gun, albeit chambered in 11.5x32mm/.460 Rowland instead of 11.43x23mm/.45 ACP, each Grasa was fed with a quad-stack magazine holding 60 rounds. They sported muzzle brakes on their barrels designed to focus the precision and accuracy of the rounds much like his other bullet-spewing weapons and those of Flynn's. Each of them was ready to be drawn quickly at a moment's notice. His revolver was still in the Dead Man's Holster, an interesting piece of clothing that channels the powers of the mystic forces to slow down time. Time and time again, the DMH has proven to be a life saver in Corzo's usage.

Hae-Lin had the Omen war maul on her back as she flip-cocked her Testament Shotgun, a rather short double-barrel 12-Gauge lever-action shotgun designed for close-quarters usage that had served her well since Armageddon. Despite its small size, each tube can hold 5 rounds of 12-Gauge 3-inch shells, and two can be inserted per barrel, one in the chamber and the other in the loading mechanism (much like a Winchester Model 1887 10-Gauge shotgun) and totaling it out to 10 plus 4 shells to be loaded and shot. There was a longer version of this, Hae-Lin told Flynn, Corzo, and the others, but she had opted for the shorter version as she preferred to be light despite being blessed with the ability to carry as much items in a pocket dimension as them.

The two nodded at Flynn's arrival and the three began to talk in soft tones, a stark contrast to the rambunctious braggarts in the Kuro Inu warrior company.

"So what d'you guys think? Of the Kuro Inu, I mean." Hae-Lin asked softly.

"Damn idiots, they are… Lack o' care t' their own men. Is despicable, it is." Corzo said disdainfully. Flynn and Hae-Lin had nodded their agreement to the gunslinger's words.

"Cannon fodder. Only threats bigger than minor would be…" Flynn's words were interrupted when he heard the voice of the one man's name he was about to speak, accompanied by one of the other two he would've mentioned.

"Well, well, well…" Vult's voice reached their ears as said man had approached them with a confident air on his person. Kin was beside him, and while he seemed friendly to the untrained eye, the three demon slayers could sense the distaste he was hiding from them.

To be honest, Flynn found the distaste laughable. Corzo simply cared not. Hae-Lin was more obvious of showing her disdain via narrowing her eyes slightly.

"This land… it unsettles you, does it not?" Corzo shrugged and replied, his ghastly voice drawling and whispering.

"Find it more refr'shing than an'where else, here." If he was unsettled by the gunslinger's voice, Vult did not show it.

Kin raised a brow in confusion to what Corzo had said. "You find it refreshing?" A nod came from the gunslinger.

"Still," Hae-Lin spoke up, "you noticed it too, didn't you?" Kin's smile became predatory at her observation skills, in which she felt uncomfortable with his gaze that felt wrong on many levels.

"Hmm, I'm surprised that a _woman_," she narrowed her eyes at how he sneered when he stressed one particular word, "figured it out." He chuckled for a second before gesturing widely to the desolate landscape.

Barren it was, with very little trees with said trees being mere husks of what they originally were. It may have been terrifying to Eostia's natives, but the three foreigners found it mediocre compared to what Hell could truly be.

"Yes, this land's air drains the very life out of people. Anyone that steps foot will be drained of their life energy." The Marine rolled his eyes from under his helmet. His HUD's status bar read that his health (odd that he'd refer to it as how a video game would, but he paid it no heed) was still at 10,000 points as was his armor being at the same amount. Hell, most of the blood that spilled over his armor over the past week and these few days had given him more ammunition than he could use, with all counters passing the six-thousand mark, effectively making him a one-man hyper-army.

"A feat so insidious that only one person alive could conjure it."

"Olga Discordia…" Corzo White spoke, his revolver drawn and idly spinning on his finger, "Our quarry and the sole individual who rivals Celestine Lucullus in strength." Within his mind, Corzo scoffed at what he had just let out of his own mouth.

Yes, Celestine and Olga may be the two most powerful magi in Eostia, but he or Flynn or Hae-Lin could overpower any of the two with merely fractions of their power being used up barely.

"It's both interesting and dangerous." Vult spoke, "Interesting that this has held on for so long and over a wide area, and dangerous as it repels all our forces."

"Except for us." Flynn muttered, but Vult's sharp hearing caught the words.

"Aye, except for us it seems." The war veteran then continued, "Although I find you three to be the most intriguing throughout this journey. Not once had any of you three visited the medical tents." He circled the three, like a vulture inspecting a corpse, before continuing.

"It makes men like me wonder just what more are you capable of."

"We'll see, Vult. We'll see." Hae-Lin spoke with a serious tone in her voice. Kin spoke up with some curiosity in his tone.

"I've seen what your large friend had done back in Ken. His weapon appeared in a flash of blue." Flynn nodded at that, currently fiddling with his DS-117 Combat Shotgun's mechanism.

"Are all of you mages by any chance?" They shook their heads no, which displeased the bespectacled young man but he reined in his emotions quickly.

"I'm 'fraid not, my friend. Most o' the stuff that is magic is oft'n somethin' for emergencies only." Corzo said as he stopped twirling his revolver and quickly holstered it into his Dead Man's Holster.

"Ah, I see…" Without warning, Flynn had left them, going over the little hill blocking any view until he came to the top. That's where he saw it and in all honesty… He found it somewhat impressive.

Pitch black stone spires with jagged spikes rising to the sky, surrounded by tall and thick walls equal in color, and the majority of any healthy trees (albeit black in leaves and dark gray in their wood) from all sides. In the middle of it all was large black structure known to all as the Black Fortress, home to Olga Discordia…

The very person that was leading the enemy from the start and the very person he was paid to capture but not harm.

The miasma of evil was strong here, he couldn't deny that. But once again it was mediocre compared to what Hell and other dark dimensions had to offer any unluckier fucker.

Corzo and Hae-Lin, as well as Vult and Kin, approached him from behind.

"So… what's the plan today, friend?" Before Flynn could speak his plan (no doubt simply go in guns blazing and killing them quickly), Vult answered the gunslinger's question.

"We attack at night. Less chances of being seen that way." His grin had turned predatory as he leered at the Black Fortress.

"And we'll claim our prize after the attack."

* * *

-Black Fortress/That Night-

After the Kuro Inu had prepared for this historical moment, this was what they had agreed on.

Hicks would take a majority of the men and launch a full-frontal assault, using the tight corridors and spaces to their advantage against Olga's army. While that would go underway, Vult, Kin and a handful of skilled soldiers along with Flynn, Corzo, and Hae-Lin would take the rear and infiltrate the castle through a secret passage.

Kin was currently working on the magic lock, murmuring words and paying no heed to Vult's annoyance and orders to hurry up. It was taking too long and the men were getting anxious. Any moment now, they'd be spotted by some passing group of Olga's demon army…

Or Olga Discordia herself, should she ever decide to rise from the confines of wherever she was during all of this.

After what could be five minutes, the Marine had all but shoved Kin aside with one hand and pulled out his Great Communicator from his back. Pressing a button by the side of the grip, the bloody grinder of flesh and metal sparked and cackled with arcs of electricity coming from its many moving teeth. Many of the Kuro Inu accompanying him and his companions looked in awe and fear of the weapon, some jumping back and others aiming their weapons at him.

Flynn raised the weapon high in one hand before making a slash at the magic-enforced door, breaking it completely thanks to its High-Frequency mode. As the door exploded into a shower of wooden splinters and rocky debris mixed with some sparks of electricity, the Kuro Inu gaped in complete shock at the Marine's powerful weapon.

Hae-Lin smirked smugly at the slack-jawed mage. "Heh, it took you five minutes to barely unlock a door while it took Flynn-Flynn here five seconds to break it down." She disappeared into the dark passageway without another word, followed by Corzo and finally Flynn before Vult and the Kuro Inu regained their bearings.

"Damn! It fucking stinks in here!" One mercenary pointed out the obvious with many of his companions agreeing immediately.

Fools. They don't know the true incarnate of stink. Flynn remembered the stench of the waste disposal areas of the UAC facilities and the countless areas tainted by Hell's insidious influences, as did Corzo and Hae-Lin.

"Quiet, you fool! The walls have ears!" Kin harshly reprimanded that one mercenary. Currently, Flynn, Corzo, and Hae-Lin were at the lead with Vult and Kin behind them and the rest forming the rear. The only source of light in the passageway were the torches, those made Hae-Lin worry. This little detour was going far too easily for them, with no opposition encountered for the past few minutes.

Her angel abilities flared up, causing her chocolate brown eyes to briefly flash to a bright gold color, making her stop in her tracks and draw out the Kharon in her left hand and the Testament shotgun in her right.

Corzo and Flynn had sense them too, as the gunslinger had pulled out one of his M12 Grasas and the super soldier had readied his DS-117 Combat Shotgun.

"Heh, 'bout time! Blades out, boys!" Vult's voice was followed by the singing of blades as they left their sheaths. Kin had prepared his magic, multiple runes covering his hands and glyphs appearing in each palm, while Vult held out his massive sword with one hand.

What nobody of the Kuro Inu expected was Flynn suddenly pulling his shotgun's trigger, causing a deafening boom to resonate throughout the walls followed by the falling of a now-headless Orc. The sound caused many of the mercenaries to cover their ears in pain while the Marine simply pumped the weapon once before keeping it away to use his chainsaw.

The bloody grinder roared to life, its many teeth rapidly spinning as the Marine had charged into the newly-revealed Orcs, Imps and Trolls. The Drifter had been more conservative, firing in short bursts and nailing multiple Imps dead and causing a few bullet wounds to appear on the Orcs and Trolls. Hae-Lin also fired her Testament, the two barrels roaring loudly followed by the mechanism being spin-cocked in one hand.

An Orc lost its upper half as the chainsaw ripped through it while a Troll was torn apart by the Marine with one hand. Another Troll was ripped apart before two more were killed by two shotgun blasts.

These creatures were more armored, hence why some of the pellets simply pushed them back but a majority of the pellets (eight out of the twelve .40-caliber pellets at average) had ripped through their exposed flesh effortlessly. The Marine turned to shoot at more of them only for Vult to take them out with his massive sword.

"Save some for the rest of us!" With another slash in a horizontal manner taking out three Orcs, the war veteran flashed a toothy grin at the Marine, who simply ignored him and resumed shooting and sawing any greenskins caught in his wrath. "Come on, you lazy bastards! Put up a fight!" The war veteran roared as he took delight in killing off the many greenskins that his sword could touch.

Corzo kept away his M12 Grasa and used his two bullwhips. At lightning fast speeds, the Drifter became a one-man typhoon/storm of wicker and metal spikes that took out any unfortunate greenskin caught in his wake. After taking out a majority of his share, the Drifter pulled out his Thunderhawk revolver and began shooting, each 12.7x42mm/.500 Magnum round destroying a greenskin head completely before he reloaded again. One got close and was punished by Corzo slamming the butt of his revolver hard into its ugly face, caving it in and sending a bit of blood in multiple directions.

He slid from under a Troll's lazily aimed swing of its mace and he retaliated with a double-barreled blast from his Montaraz 1899 10-Gauge shotgun, obliterating it completely from the upper chest.

Hae-Lin dodged multiple swipes from the Orcs and Trolls, retaliating with swift strikes with her Kharon. A cluster of Imps were floating a ways away from her and she shot them with her Testament shotgun. Spin-cocking the weapon, she keeps the weapon away (making it disappear in a flash of white, angelic light) and replacing it with her Sabbath heavy SMG.

Aiming at where a majority of the Orcs, Trolls, and Imps were, she depressed the trigger and the large firearm released a massive swarm of 10.16x27mm Hollow-Point rounds, ripping her foes apart thanks to the bullets fragmenting properties. Once the last of her targets fell, Hae-Lin began to reload the gun similar to how a 20th Century FN P90 PDW would be loaded, fully loading the gun back up to 60 rounds in its top-loaded magazine.

By now, they had made good progress in their venture in the passageway. Flynn, Corzo, Hae-Lin, and Vult were at the frontlines with Kin supporting them with a field of magic that protected the group from harm. That didn't mean they didn't suffered any loses, however, as many of the mercenaries accompanying them were killed due to a variety of reasons.

The Marine had finished off the last Troll with his bare hands, smearing his own body and the walls of the passageway with blood and mucus.

Vult had laughed boisterously and clapped the Marine on his shoulder. He began to regret it however as the Marine had immediately grabbed that hand and threw him over his back and to his front, slamming the war veteran to the stony floor.

Vult's eyes, and those of his followers, widened when the Marine had outright slammed him into the floor. That widening became even wider when the Marine had pressed his shotgun to his temple, the wielder intent on destroying his head.

Not a second had passed and the Marine hissed his words. "Don't do that again." Without another word, he releases Vult and continues to slaughter more of the greenskins that are (figuratively and literally) coming from the walls.

Keeping away the cobalt-blue firearm, the Marine grappled with a Troll for a few seconds until it was apparent that he was overpowering it, so he decided to finish it off quickly and throw its lifeless corpse at another greenskin. The force of the impact was intense to the point the corpse outright exploded into chunks of blood and guts.

Meanwhile, Vult had managed to recover from his shock and watched the Marine do his handiwork. Seeing the large man in green's brutality, the war veteran shuddered inwardly at what would've been if he had fought for the Dark Queen rather than the Goddess Reincarnated.

He wouldn't have survived that long and made the plan.

Oh yes, the plan.

Smirking darkly, Vult decided to lay back and watch the Marine and his two equally-mysterious compatriots kill off the Orcs and their allies.

"_They'll tire themselves out,"_ he reassured himself, _"and when they do, they won't know what hit them."_ Finishing his train of thought, the war veteran begins to make his way past the dead corpses of both friend and foe.

[-]

Things were going well as many of the opposition were obliterated by Vult or any remaining members of the Kuro Inu or by Flynn, Corzo, and/or Hae-Lin.

During about an hour into the assault on the Fortress, the Marine, Drifter, and Angel of Death have encountered various other monsters such as Lycans and even Ghouls for a decent surprise. Not that the surprise mattered anyway as they all fell the same as countless others did before them.

Lazily tilting his head away from a vertical swipe from a Lycan, the Drifter used one bullwhip and snapped the poor thing's neck.

"You three! We'll finish these guys off! Go get Olga!" Vult actually had ordered them for once, and possibly for once they had agreed to the man's orders.

To be honest, so much of the Black Fortress's inhabitants have been killed off by the invading forces. Very little of them remain, so the three demon slayers had decided to leave the rest to the Kuro Inu. The three had split up and began to barge into all rooms they had missed and encountered either going into empty rooms or rooms filled with monsters that just died quickly. This all felt wrong for the three dimensional travelers, as none of them had encountered a single Dark Elf throughout all this time.

Either they were extinct and Olga was an impersonator with delusions, or something was up.

Right now, Flynn and his two companions (after taking care of the few monsters guarding it) had regrouped and were standing in front of a pair of dark wooden doors that would reveal Olga's throne room once opened. His days of being in the UN Marine Corps had given him the knowledge of what to do in this situation.

Without words, Flynn used two-finger points and gestures to direct Hae-Lin and Corzo to get into position. Once they were in position, he stepped forth until he was in front of the two wooden doors.

Focusing some power into his foot and leg, he proceeds to kick both doors out from their hinges in one single strike, making them fly a good distance away before landing in splinters just by the steps leading up to the throne.

Quickly moving in, the three followed the red carpet until they saw their target sitting calmly on her throne like a true monarch.

Her appearance made the Marine groan on the inside. He wasn't sure how much more of this he can take before he snaps into a rage fueled with annoyance alone.

She was voluptuous with warm espresso skin, the woman was clad in (what could barely even protect her at all) some form of chainmail variation of a corset that exposed the tops and sides of her breasts as well as her flat stomach. Her lowers consisted of boots that went above the knees and of dark colored underwear that seems to have a scale pattern on them (not that any of them were looking, mind you). Her silken cloak was separated into multiple tails that covered her back and framed her shoulders neatly.

Her face was beautiful, that was for certain, with black lipstick and pale gold eyes staring at the three, framed by her long raven-black hair that went down to her knees. If she was currently standing, she'd measure at six feet straight without her heels.

In her left hand was a metal staff with a ruby gem on the top. Her long, elven ears twitched as she regarded the three intruders with annoyance and disdain.

"Three intruders? And one of them is a little girl?" Hae-Lin visibly took offense to that and childishly flipped the Dark Queen off, who simply chuckled at the rude gesture, "I'm not sure whether to be irritated or annoyed that this happened."

Stepping forward, the South-Korean swordswoman growled and shot back with a retort. "Listen lady, we've fought a lot of shit for the past few minutes so cut us some slack will ya?"

Olga seemed to smile at Hae-Lin's words before she stood from her throne, the crystal embedded in her staff ominously glowing. She gave a humored chuckle at the three as she took a few steps from her throne.

"I suppose you are mercenaries then? If so, who hired you three to invade my home and slaughter my guards?"

"Celestine Lucullus, ma'am. She wants t' talk wi' you." Corzo spoke, his voice causing Olga to involuntarily shiver at how cold and dead he sounded. Her ears twitched once more and she spoke with a haughty tone.

"So she sends mercenaries to capture me, and not some of her trusted _Princess Knights_?" She spat at the ground beneath her as she raised her staff slightly off the ground.

"She wishes to negotiate." Hae-Lin said but Olga scoffed at her.

"Negotiate? After all she's done so far, she wants to negotiate?!" Hae-Lin couldn't help but feel sympathy from the Dark Elf. Still, she was their employer's enemy and their employer had ordered them to capture her alive. She felt the same way when Hell had invaded Earth and took away her loved ones, making her feel no remorse for anyone on the opposite side.

Corzo kept silent. He knows what it's like to have someone ruin your life and then come to you with peaceful intentions thinking you'll go quietly.

Flynn narrowed his eyes from behind his visor. He too knew what it was like, but he shelved his feelings aside. He had a job to do, after all, and Hell better pray for their sakes that he is delayed further from finishing his eternal crusade.

That's when Flynn stepped in front of the other two, facing Olga directly and staring her down. She shivered from the coldness of his staring, the Dark Elf Queen of the Jagged Crown feeling… _inferior_ when the man's icy-blue visor stared into her soul. She couldn't see anything other than her own reflection.

That scared her. Still, she shook off her fear and scowled as the large human male spoke to her, his voice gruff, raspy and dead.

"Unharmed or not, you're coming with us." His firmness made her irritated at him. Raising the staff level to his chest, she asked rhetorically.

"And what's stopping me from killing you three off?" Her answer came in the form of a loud, thundering roar that resonated throughout the castle followed by her staff flying out of her hand and into the tiled floor.

Eyes wide, the Dark Elf queen looked at who was responsible only to find him standing right in front of her, causing the Dark Elf to jump back in surprise. Eyes trailing down, she saw in his hands an odd-looking silver-metaled device with its end pointed at her smoking. Her shock and surprise widened when the odd weapon disappeared in a flash of blue specks of light going behind his rear end.

"Because the seven other shots will destroy you if you resist." Without even waiting for a reply, the large man grabbed her by the throat and began to drag her from her throne. She struggled, clawing at his gauntlet-clad hand with her sharp fingers.

After a few seconds of futile clawing, she managed to speak out with a croak in her tone.

"N-no-not w-w-with-o-out a fi-fig-f-fight from my… lieu-t-ten-tenants…" Her words made the large man in green stop in his tracks and release her from his grip. Not wasting her chance, Olga stood up weakly as she gasped for air.

"T-that's right, human… My lieutenants will be here any minute now." Speak of the devil and he shall appear, for out of the shadows emerged two figures armored and ready to take on anyone that threatens their queen.

The first one was a female, sporting an Amazonian, voluptuous figure with skin the color of light indigo, standing at six feet and three inches tall. Both her eyes were pink in color with her fair face sporting a few freckles and being framed by two large bangs on the sides of her head. Two dull ivory horns were a striking feature, curling much like a ram's or a goat's horns would, with spiked chokers secured on each of them. Her long, dark, pink hair reached her shapely ass and was rather spikey and bushy both at once.

She wore a fur cloth piece dark brown in color that showed the top of her ample bosom moderately (when in comparison to the other females Flynn had encountered in Eostia) with white fur lining the top of the cloth piece by the shoulder and neck areas. It also left her stomach exposed, showing many scars going across it, with many of them healed and some of the permanent. Her leggings consisted of equally dark brown stockings that cling to her muscular legs, with winter boots covering her feet and lower ankles. Her crotch area was covered by a blood-red sash that actually covered her shapely rear and her front well.

In her hands was a blocky firearm (that alone raised alarms in the heads of Flynn, Corzo, and Hae-Lin) that resembles an oversized yet oversimplified TDI KRISS Super V SMG with a lengthened handguard and barrel. It sported no scope and its iron sights were rather basic much like a standard infantry rifle of World War I, and its magazine jutted a few ways past the magazine well. Judging from the cut-outs on the side, this weapon fires nails around ten millimeters (10mm) in thickness and fifty millimeters (50mm) in length.

On her belt was a leather satchel not too different from Corzo's as it was also glowing slightly, indicating magic was at work.

Her face was impassive, although the three could tell that her eyes were scanning them with scrutiny for any weak links in them.

The second figure made Flynn's blood boil with rage. It stood over twelve feet and one inch tall, muscular with dark red skin and shaggy brown fur legs ending with pitch black hooves, with spikes of the same color jutting out from its shoulders, elbows, and knees. It's equally black horns were jutting forward much like a bull's own horns, with one of them chipped in half and the other sporting white scorch marks. It wore a damaged chest plate, brimstone in smell and charcoal gray in color, and armored leggings equal in smell and color.

In one hand was a weapon that resembled a large drum-magazine-fed autocannon, and in the other hand was a growing fireball, an evil green in color.

No doubt about it, that's a Hell Baron. How the fuck did Olga summon that thing?

"Zan! Balth'Azar!" The blueskinned female and the Hell Baron, Zan and Balth'Azar, respectively, shifted to attention at Olga's words. The Dark Elf Queen smiled and pointed her finger at Flynn's direction, with one order evident in her calm voice.

"Eliminate the intruders!" The two creatures charged, with the blue-skinned woman (Zan) heading straight for Corzo and Hae-Lin while Balth'Azar went for Flynn, with their targets charging to meet them head-on.

The Hell Baron swiped one claw, sending the fireball he was growing at the Marine. He ducked under the hellish flames and retaliated with a well-aimed shotgun blast to the demon's head. Balth'Azar staggered briefly before he swatted Flynn, who had jumped when he was staggered, aside and into one of the pillars of the throne room, destroying it completely.

Flynn didn't scream in pain nor did he grunt, he simply kept silent as he fell back to the floor. Quickly rolling away to evade a bullet from the Baron's cannon, the Marine returned fire with a burst from his DS-117 shotgun before switching to his Ouranus VI MRLS and firing a six-rocket volley. Balth'Azar simply took them all in stride and simply shot back the same amount from his cannon. The rounds found their mark and sent the Marine back a few inches, taking his both armor and health down to 8200. From under his helmet, Flynn was gritting his teeth not in pain but in pure joy. Finally, an actual challenge!

Shaking off the impacts a second after the last one hit, the Marine charged at the Hell Baron with his Static Rifle fully-charged. Jumping high into the air and aiming, the Marine pulled the trigger, sending a rapid five-slug burst into the Baron's chest. The EM Slugs hit hard and pushed the Baron back, leaving displacement marks across the floor and deep dents in its armor.

Jumping at the Marine, the Baron swiped one claw intent on crushing the Marine. The human greeted the demon's claw with one hand and soon the two were struggling to dominate their foe. The two traded blows once more before jumping away from each other.

Pulling out his Crusader Sword from subspace, the Marine charged at the Baron, who met the charge with both claws. As the sword and claws collided, the impacts created light shockwaves that shook the area around them slightly. Both combatants were equally matched, with each sword strike was blocked by a claw and each swipe of a claw parried by the sword. This went on for a minute or so before the Baron kicked the Marine back and sending a green fireball his way. The Marine tanked the kick and the fireball; both had reduced his health charges and armor charges down to 6000 points each.

With Corzo and Hae-Lin, the two were fighting with the blueskin named Zan. Her large nailgun shot fast, their projectiles travelling quickly and grazing either Corzo or Hae-Lin, the two retaliating with their own ranged firearms. Using Testament, Hae-Lin sent out a flurry of buckshot at the blueskin, who either took some of the pellets or avoided them with ease and grace. Corzo used his M12 Grasas and unloaded the two SMGs, many of the .460-Rowland bullets missing and some hitting Zan on various parts of her body. A majority of their little firefight involve either hitting a non-vital area on their foe/s, taking projectiles to their non-vitals, or hiding behind the pillars that were slowly being destroyed by the force of the projectiles shot from their foe/s.

Soon after expending a good amount of her nails, Zan got in close and brought out a large and sturdy tomahawk, different from Flynn's own hatchet. Hae-Lin rushed to meet her strike with the Kharon, with Corzo pulling out his bullwhips and attacking Zan from a distance.

The spiked metal ends of the whip made Zan hiss in pain and annoyance before she pushed off the Kharon with her tomahawk and making a beeline towards the gunslinger, who simply dodged her strikes and attacked (and hitting) back with his two bullwhips.

She grunted as the pain had caught up to her before she swung her tomahawk, the large weapon slashing at Corzo hitting him in the chest, ruining his poncho to some degree. She would've smiled until she heard the screech of metal after the ripping of cloth before being kicked back by Corzo. During a second or so of being kicked back, Zan could make out from the rip in her foe's poncho a simple chest plate protecting him from what would've been a fatal blow. She used the momentum of being kicked back to flip in the air and parry a sword strike from Hae-Lin.

The two women then went at it, trading blows to one another with their weapons. Hae-Lin sent out a vertical slash and then a horizontal slash, Zan parrying the first one and pushing back the second. The South-Korean swordswoman sent out a rapid flurry of slashes at the Orc-Demon hybrid, the latter barely keeping up with the fast slashes the smaller woman made in rapid succession. Thrusting her Kharon forward, Hae-Lin pushed Zan back to Corzo with a new deep wound in her stomach region.

Zan skidded to a halt and began to seethe in rage. With a roar, the blueskin woman charged and swung her tomahawk, smashing Hae-Lin aside before turning her attention to Corzo. The gunslinger parried the rage-filled smashes with his bullwhips, but Zan got lucky and got him in the neck. To the blueskin's surprise, it didn't decapitate him but it just sent him slamming into a pillar.

[-]

Meanwhile, Olga had managed to recover her staff and get a good distance away from the danger and began to survey the carnage that was erupting in her castle's throne room. The thundering sounds and the brutal impacts from each of the fighters in the room made fear seep into her heart.

Her eyes were on Zan for a moment and she fondly remembered when she first met the woman just over two years ago.

Olga had gone up to the mountains to think of new strategies to defeat her rival, Celestine, and had heard the sounds of metal against metal. Her curiosity got the better of her and she ventured deep into the tunnel to find out what was making the sounds. It had led her to a large forgery of sorts over a massive pit of lava, with Zan working on something on the platform in the center of the massive room. When the two first made eye-contact, they were anxious and hesitant of the other before the two saw something they haven't seen before. At the same time, Olga had pointed out that Zan was a blue Orc and Zan had pointed out that Olga was a Dark Elf before Zan corrected Olga that she was actually a half-breed between a blueskin and an unknown demon species, surprising Olga greatly.

One conversation later, and the two had bonded fairly well since then, and even her other friend, and ever-loyal vassal, Chloe, had gotten along with the Orc-Demon hybrid.

That same couldn't be said for Balth'Azar, however. Even now, while said demon was occupied with fighting the man in green plate, Olga was still afraid of the large monster that was one of her lieutenants.

It just after a century had passed in the war between her and her rival, Olga was busy reading through many forbidden books for any way to get the edge over Celestine's forces. It wasn't until the seventh day of that week that Olga had felt something pulling at her very soul, drawing her in towards whatever was pulling her. Oh how she wished she resisted then, and it would never had led her to a book made of flesh and bone deep within her citadel's dark chambers. Oh, had she resisted, she would have never had sacrificed those six hundred sixty six souls in order to summon the very beast presently fighting the man in green plate.

She remembered the monster's piercing gaze as it leered deep into her soul as she felt powerless to stop it.

Since then, there were times when she believed that he was the one in charge and she was simply the puppet whose strings were pulled by him and him alone. During those times, Balth'Azar had been lording over her forces, making them slave away for some purpose only he (and possibly his dark masters, she assumed) knows.

Luckily, she had learned of his name just a year after having him in her ranks and he was been obedient since, acting as her enforcer to her will with none actually succeeding in rebelling against her. But she could've sworn she saw him pause every time she would speak his name, as if he were contemplating something, but simply chalked it up to two sides within the demon's mind fighting over her control over him.

But deep within the recesses of her mind, Olga fears that the demon was simply playing along. But why would he do that and not simply break free of her supposed hold on him? Why tolerate her for over the centuries and not question her orders? A feeling deep within Olga told her that the answer would fill her heart with dread.

[-]

Suddenly, more people had run past the fallen doors and into the throne room. It was Vult and the Kuro Inu, with Kin and Hicks by his side. There was someone struggling in the war veteran's grasp, this person being someone Olga and Zan had considered their true friend throughout the more recent years of this conflict.

This person, if standing, was at five feet and six inches with warm mocha skin. Her red eyes were welled up with tears and her fair face was marred with a few light bruises. Her dirty blonde hair, originally fashioned into a ponytail that dangled off the right side of her head, was disheveled and roughened up.

She wore a dark blue body suit with an opening that exposed her ample cleavage and her stomach, with a pauldron on her right shoulder sporting a short white cape. Adorning her forearms were dark blue gauntlets, while her lower legs were encased in greaves and armored shoes.

With a voice filled with fear and concern for the individual in the human's grasp, Olga screamed out her name.

"C-C-Chlo-Chloe…" her voice was trembling at first before she found her authority, "Release her at once, you brute!" Her voice had caused most of the combatants to stop in their tracks.

Corzo and Hae-Lin had looked at Olga first before following her gaze to see Vult holding a Dark Elf girl hostage, the former's expression hidden by the shadow of his hat and the latter showing her scowl for all to see. Zan's eyes widened with fear for Chloe before she pulled out her large nail-rifle and aimed it at the man holding her dear friend hostage.

Meanwhile, Flynn and Balth'Azar were still going at it. Trading punches, kicks, bullets, and energy blasts, it was apparent that neither of the two was stopping their fight until their foe falls by their hand.

"Balth'Azar!" Zan's voice, slightly coarse and rough around the edges, made the demon stop from launching his next attack. Flynn followed Balth'Azar's gaze and saw Vult holding a Dark Elf girl hostage. From underneath his helmet, his joy turned into anger once more, the Marine already selecting a weapon from subspace to use against the war veteran if things decide to go south.

"Well now, this is a surprise!" Vult said as he stepped past his two allies. "You already started without me, Marine? I'm hurt, I truly am." He gave a predatory grin to the other inhabitants of the room.

"Let her go, human!" Olga commanded as she had leveled her staff at the man holding Chloe by her neck.

"Or what, you bitch? You get to see me slit this slut's throat after I have my way with her?" To prove his point, Vult began to tease Chloe' exposed cleavage with a dagger he had kept hidden, the cold metal making the Dark Elf girl squirm and hiss from the contact of the blade. Hae-Lin narrowed her eyes at the man's words.

"What the hell are you going on about, Vult?" The man in question made his predatory grin even darker somehow as he stopped molesting Chloe. He harshly shoved her into Hicks's arms before answering Hae-Lin's question.

"I see I'll have to tell you what exactly I'm implying, don't I? Well then!" He paced back and forth as he continued, "We're all mercenaries here. The ones that have been fighting in this damn war on all fronts for an entire millenia! Every death that's happened, every loss in territory, every piece of armor that's been damaged, every blade broken, every arrow wasted! They can all to be blamed on _Celestine Lucullus_ and _Olga Discordia_!" He seethed as he spoke those two names.

"And for what?!" He roared out as he stopped pacing, "We have received _very little_ in profit from those lazy bitches playing knight from a clean slate while we fought our way through Hell itself!" To his side, Flynn could see Balth'Azar lowly grunting and for once he'd agree to what the demon was thinking.

"And when this war ends, then what? THEN WHAT?! WE GET NOTHING FROM THEM! I'll have to force them to give me what I want!" At this point, Vult had stomped his foot into the floor with all the rage he could muster from years of fighting a war.

"And Princess Knights? How do you plan on getting past them?" The Marine spoke up, readying his M45 Combat Handgun with one hand. He could see that Hae-Lin had grabbing her A-22 from her pocket dimension as did Corzo with his Thunderhawk but he kept it holstered in his Dead Man's Holster. He simply nodded to them, and they nodded back.

The unspoken message was clear, _"When I pull the trigger, let loose on them!"_

"Those Princess Knights of Celestine? HA! FUCK 'EM! Enjoying the spoils from their high castles when those should've gone to us!" With both arms spread out, Vult gestured to the men behind him.

"Think about it, Marine. This is the start of a new era, one where men are truly free and women are under our thumb, not the other way around! Every man is their own king with scores of bitches to fuck! And to celebrate…" Vult aimed his sword at Olga, who had walked up to a few feet away from the Marine and the Hell Baron, while his other hand gestured to the captive Chloe, "I'll start with them."

A deafening silence followed with the air around the throne room tense as multiple sides stood waiting for any of their foe to make their move.

Flynn and Balth'Azar both looked at one another for a good twelve seconds before both of them did something in perfect sync that it greatly disturbed everyone present.

It started as low rumblings coming from their throats before they slowly evolved into full blown, dark and harrowing laughter. Many of the Kuro Inu started to sweat and some were backing away in fear, while the allies of either Flynn or Balth'Azar were growing unsettled by their companions' behavior.

Flynn's laughter was fitting for someone like he, booming and deep in tone that it froze many in their places. Balth'Azar's own deep laughter held an echo to it, reverberating across the room and within the bodies of many.

Vult was starting to get irritated at this. Two individuals, a demon and some upstart foreigner, were laughing at his grand vision. He'll make them pay for that.

Soon, the laughter died down to light chuckling before the two completely stopped, growing serious in an instant.

"_**To think…"**_ the demon's voice was equal to his laugh, deep with an echo that reverberated off of anything, _**"humans would stoop so low… I find it laughable, don't you, Slayer?"**_

To the surprise of Corzo and Hae-Lin, Flynn nodded his agreement.

"I don't think even _your_ kind would stoop that low, and that's saying something. And here I thought he had something else in mind!" Balth'Azar nodded in agreement to the Marine's words before he turned on his hoof and walking past Olga, surprising everyone present.

"You're leaving?!" Olga's voice reached his ears, making the Hell Baron smile in response, showing off his razor sharp serrated teeth and fangs for all to see. He simply spoke in a calm tone as if he were discussing the weather.

"_**I am… and what of it, **__**My Queen**__**?"**_ He asked, snarling out the last two words in a derogatory manner. Raising her staff, Olga commanded with all the authority as the Queen of the Jagged Crown could hold over anyone.

"Balth'Azar! I order you to stay and fig-!" Without warning, the Hell Baron had swiftly turned and backhanded Olga into the ground ahead of Flynn with his claw. The staff was once again thrown out of her hands and had landed at near the feet of Corzo, who then picked up the magical weapon without taking his eyes off of the demon.

"_**Foolish whelp, did you honestly think knowing and speaking my name would give you control over me? ME?!"**_ The Hell Baron stomped the ground just a few inches away from Olga, causing pillars of hellfire to rise up to the ceiling (which was rather high) and vanish in an instant. Olga had scrambled to her feet and away from the intense flames and had decided to seek refuge from behind the Marine.

"_**To think that I had to play a slave for over the centuries… And to think humans are still so gullible… I am disappointed at all of this…"**_ The demon snorted, black smoke coming from his nostrils, as he glanced towards the Marine.

"_**Doom Slayer…"**_ the Marine nodded at the demon calling him out with his feared title as he readied his DS-117 Combat Shotgun with one hand as the other was occupied with aiming the M45 Combat Handgun at Vult, _**"These pathetic excuses of humans are your quarry... I shall take my leave… but we shall cross paths again… I assure it…"**_ With that, a blood red portal appeared at Balth'Azar's hooves before it slowly swallowed him whole.

Just before the portal completely took the demon away, Balth'Azar spoke once again to the Marine. _**"Until we meet again, Slayer…"**_ With his parting words spoken, the demon vanished with the portal, leaving no traces apart from the scorch marks left from his stomp.

With the demon gone from this plane of existence, the Marine shifted his attention to Vult and the Kuro Inu, who had watched the spectacle with mixed feelings of shock, horror, terror, and intrigue.

Aiming the shotgun and the handgun, the Marine pulled the triggers. The flurry of .40-caliber pellets and the single 11.5x32mm Hollow-Point round flew into the crowd, the pellets taking out some of the cannon fodder and the Hollow-Point round outright disarming Hicks as it caused his left shoulder to implode, making the rogue let go of the Dark Elf named Chloe as he falls over in pain and agony.

Hae-Lin and Corzo immediately sprang into action and open fire at the Kuro Inu. Firing five shots, reloading, and repeating the process, Hae-Lin took down a good portion of the Kuro Inu's men with her A-22 .500-Magnum handgun. Corzo simply closed his eyes as time seemed to slow down to a stop for him.

Once he's done concentrating, his eyes shot open in sync to him pulling out his Thunderhawk and firing all eight shots of his revolver. Out of those eight shots, three certain individuals were thrown back while the remaining five were reduced into bloody red puddles. Not only that but each round that hit caused a strong shockwave the killed anyone else within the small vicinities of each individual round that hit its mark.

Not wasting any time despite being dazed by the loudness of the weapons, Chloe made a beeline straight for Zan, nearly tackling her to the floor with a hug. The blueskinned Orc-Demon hybrid simply hugged the Dark Elf girl back and the two began to weep tears of joy at this slight reunion.

Keeping away his shotgun, the Marine begins to shoot all the remaining Kuro Inu mercenaries in their heads with a single bullet ripping into their brains. Twenty men down, twenty bullets spent, one still left in the chamber, the Marine reloads his reliable sidearm.

With most of the Kuro Inu dead, Flynn, Corzo, and Hae-Lin grabbed their targets and began to make a hasty exit out of the castle.

Pulling out his Ouranus VI MRLS, the Marine shot at one of the throne room's walls, destroying it completely and sending debris everywhere. Not wasting time, he grabs Olga by her waist and carried her over his back before proceeding to jump out the hole he made. Corzo followed his friend's example and grabbed Zan in the process, while Hae-Lin did the same with Chloe. As they all landed onto the ground below, they wasted no time and began to run back to Ken.

It appears that a new war has begun just as another had ended. God help them all that this will end swiftly.

* * *

-Garran Badlands Outskirts/An hour later-

As they made their way through the badlands, Flynn, Corzo, and Hae-Lin were running as fast as they can. For Flynn, he simply had to exert more force into each step as he carried Olga over his back like she was a sack of potatoes. Corzo had opted to carry Zan bridal style (the latter blushing in embarrassment at how she was being carried) as the gunslinger felt the energy of multiple galloping horses energize his legs. Hae-Lin and Chloe were running side by side, the former utilizing the powers of the Angel of Death and the latter keeping up thanks to her Dark Elf attributes (although she was more-or-less being dragged across the barren wasteland by the former).

By now, they had reached the outskirts of what used to be the capital of the Dark Elves and the three had let go of their charges in different manners. The Marine had unceremoniously dropped Olga like she really was a sack of potatoes, the Drifter had lowered Zan to her feet like a gentleman would, and Hae-Lin simply let go of Chloe's hand.

"Well…" Corzo huffed as he regained his breath quickly, "that was int'r'stin'." Flynn nodded as he saw the morning sun just barely rising in the horizon.

"We keep moving. The sooner we get to Ken, the quicker this job's done." Upon hearing that, Hae-Lin slumped down to her knees as she childishly protested.

"But I wanna rest!" She flailed her arms and pouted to get her point across to the Marine. The Hellwalker paid the Angel no mind as he began to reach for Olga's neck…

Only to be stopped by Zan's tomahawk slamming against his gauntlet. She would've smirked at his hand being severed, until she realized that her tomahawk did jack shit against him.

"_What the hell?! That should've sliced it off!"_ The Orc-Demon hybrid's train of thought was interrupted by the Marine grabbing her by the neck, effectively choking her out.

She, much like Olga, began to struggle against the inhuman grip wrapped around her throat. She slammed her tomahawk into the exposed flesh of the man's upper arm (the unarmored space between his pauldron and gauntlet), expecting it to be severed off. Her expectations were shattered much like the tomahawk's head shattering against the man's skin.

Before anyone else could intervene, Corzo had placed a hand on the very gauntlet choking Zan and spoke in a drawling tone.

"Enough, Flynn, save it for the real threat." His voice was harsh in tone but dead in his sounding, disturbing Chloe and Zan at how he sounded. The Marine, Flynn, simply held his grip on Zan's throat before releasing her after a good four seconds. As the blueskinned woman fell to the dirt below and began to gasp for air, Flynn had turned his back to them and spoke in a monotonous yet firm voice.

"Keep an eye on them, Corzo. If any of them even think of fighting…" He paused as he glanced at Zan and Chloe, "kill them quickly." The two in question shivered at how cold that man's voice sounded. The Drifter nodded at Flynn's orders.

The Marine sat down on a rock next to Olga. He gazed over her exhausted yet beautiful form before making his decision.

"Fine, we rest for today." Hearing that, Hae-Lin immediately celebrated by pumping her fists into the air and doing a little happy dance.

"However!" His voice caused her to stop. "After noon passes, we'll move again." Hae-Lin deflated a bit and pleadingly looked at Corzo for any sign of help.

He simply shrugged as if to say _"Deal with it"_ before patrolling the perimeter around Zan and Chloe while keeping an eye out, pulling out his Cintia 1901 lever-action 10-Gauge shotgun in case anything attacks them.

She slumped down to her knees again as she lets out a groan of weariness. If this were a show, many would see anime tears comically running down her cheeks as a dark shadow seemed to go over her frame.

"_Why is life so cruel?"_

[-]

Olga Discordia had watched the man simply known as Flynn makes his decision before beginning to take watch along with the other man known as Corzo.

She had heard of the stories of the Gore Knight, the Drifter and the Angel of Death. Stories of how many that had faced the Gore Knight were left into so many pieces that there wasn't much left for anyone to bury, how many had faced the Drifter only to be struck down by his fearsome whips or be annihilated by his odd silver contraption, and how many had seen the grace of the Angel as she strikes down her foes.

Seeing them all up close can only be described as surreal to the Dark Elf Monarch. She noted that many of their fearsome contraptions all came from accessories on their bodies. The odd disks on the Gore Knight's belt, the leather satchel on the Drifter, and a pendant on secured on the Angel's neck just hidden behind her black double bow tie. Right now, she was looking at the Gore Knight's strange cobalt-blue staff that had roared loudly with thunder in her castle before she looked upon its wielder.

The man was muscular in a sense that it fits his large size. He towered over her and possibly some of her Orcs, she reckons. His dark green chest plate was odd, with multiple indents running across it. His equally green pauldrons were at least somewhat familiar in shape much like other pauldrons she'd seen over the centuries, but she took note of the odd white triangular symbol that was painted on the left one. His chest plate left his stomach somewhat exposed thanks to an opening but it was covered by an oddly shaped black tunic that covered his abdominal muscles and accentuated them. He wore brown pants covered in dark green paddings of armor on the upper legs while the lower legs were covered in silvery-gray paddings of armor.

Then there was his face or rather the object obstructing any view of the man's face. His dull-gray helmet was oddly shaped as it had no opening aside from the one where you insert your head into the helmet. Its visor was made of glass (at least, she assumed it was such) tinted an icy blue color that was not transparent in any way whatsoever. There was an odd metal stick on the left side of his helmet that extended past the top and ended with a flat tip much like a flat-head on a nail.

There was also a symbol on the left portion of his helmet, just above where the forehead should be. It resembled an anchor of sorts with multiple marks beside it. It was blood red in color and its presence alone made her anxious.

But she was also annoyed as she wanted the man to give her the courtesy to show her his face. Even before becoming Queen, Olga had been a great object of beauty in the eyes of many individuals and that had become even greater when she had been crowned as Queen of the Dark Elves. Many men (and even women, she idly mused at that) had been smitten with her beauty that many of them would die for her (literally in some cases).

But this man before her now looked at her not in a lustful way or in a worshipping manner. Instead, he looked at her as a prisoner or something lower than a prisoner, and that annoyed her greatly.

Clicking her tongue, the Dark Elf Queen stood up and walked to the large man and spoke to him.

"My, my, aren't you the gentleman… It's not every day that you'd have someone such as me in your hold, do you?" The man simply kept silent as he scanned the barren land with his eyes.

"**Tch!** At least give me the common courtesy of showing your face, human." She all but commanded him. Once again, the man kept silent to her words, opting instead to scan the mundane land even more rather than acknowledge her.

She felt annoyance surge through her once again. She also felt the air of the Badlands starting to wear her down, as her movement slowed slightly. Still, she raised her hands and inched them towards the man's odd helmet, intent on taking it off.

"_Fine, if you won't take it off, then I'll-!"_ Her eyes widened when the man swiftly turned to face her and grab one of her hands from reaching his helmet. The swiftness of his movement cause a good amount of wind to be displaced around them, causing her cape to flutter moderately from those displaced winds.

The Dark Elf Queen once again felt inferior as the size difference between them was made apparent once more. She felt his gaze pierce through her and into her very soul, making her shudder involuntarily from the sensation.

Once again, fear gripped her heart.

[-]

As the Marine held her there, he was contemplating choosing one of the three things going in his mind right now.

One, he could simply kill her here and now and he could simply report to Celestine that her rival had died during the assault on the Black Fortress no thanks to Vult. Two, he could simply snap off her arm as a clear message to her but that would create suspicion. And lastly, he could just intimidate her which was just option numero dos just minus the arm snapping.

Making up his decision, Flynn Taggert spoke. "Do that again, and it'll be your arm that's my next victim." Finding no voice in her tongue, Olga simply nodded in response as the large man released her grip on her.

"Now sit down." The woman did so quickly in record time. He internally scoffed at the so-called Dark Queen who was trembling under his gaze.

Sitting down across her, the Marine begins to break down his weapon into multiple parts. It was something he does to pass the time.

"Why did you break your weapon, human? It would have served us all better if you kept it intact." She chastised the Marine, who simply ignored her words.

For over an hour, the only sounds that Olga heard from the man that captured her were the odd clicking coming from his (in her eyes) broken weapon as the man in question tended to it as if it were still in one piece.

The Marine removed the large and thick quad-stacked magazine of his DS-117 Combat Shotgun and removed the remaining shells (which disappeared into his pocket dimension) before disassembling the magazine. It took him over three minutes, but Flynn had finished performing maintenance on the magazine, reassembling it and reloading it. He had repeated the process for the magazine of the underslung launcher, taking the same amount of time as he did with the shotgun magazine.

Now for the actual gun, he thought to himself as he grabbed his shotgun from next to him.

The Marine began to clean the main barrel of the shotgun as well as the larger barrel for the underslung grenade launcher. Once he was done with both parts, he reattaches them both into the main body of the firearm and reattaching the handguard and bull barrel after.

After a few seconds, the DS-117 was reassembled and looked as if it were brand new. Flynn smirked at Olga's surprise at how his 'broken' weapon was good as new.

"Didn't break it." His voice startled her as he continued. "Just repaired it." Speechless, the Queen of the Jagged Crown nodded dumbly as the Marine kept the weapon away into subspace and brought out his Crusader Sword and a whetstone.

For over the next half-hour Olga watched the Marine sharpen his diamond-blue sword before he too puts it away into the pocket dimension and pulling out the leaf-green contraption he had used to free Chloe from that man's hold.

The Marine began to take apart his M45 handgun, inspecting each individual part before cleaning them thoroughly. After a few minutes of cleaning the parts, he then starts to reassemble the handgun.

Pulling the slide back, the Marine inserted a single 11.5x32mm bullet before loading the actual magazine into the butt/grip of the pistol. Once the handgun snapped closed, he depressed a button on the LAM, satisfied that the laser was still a bright neon red color before turning it off.

Satisfied, he proceeds to keep away the handgun into his pocket dimension before looking at his charge/prisoner.

She had been looking to her companions and had seen them eating some food that their captors had pack.

Olga found this behavior from her captors odd. Why waste your food for your enemy? What was to be gained from doing that?

Flynn then looked up to the sky and noticed the sun's position was just about an hour past noon. He began to stand up before walking up to Corzo and Hae-Lin.

"Time to go, no more stops beyond this point." Hae-Lin, if something were actually possible, had slumped down even further.

"Mmm-hmm, I don't wanna go just yet!" Not wanting to deal with this, Flynn grabbed Hae-Lin by the back of her suspender pants and lifted her like how one would carry a suitcase/briefcase. The South-Korean swordswoman flailed childishly once again as she protested to the large man in green, who paid her whining no mind.

Corzo shook his head with a small smile gracing his lips (although no one can really see it because of his face being obstructed with shadow) before he gesture to both Zan and Chloe, the former remaining calm despite being captive and the latter glaring daggers at the man.

"Let's go, ladies. We're 'eadin' fo' Ken." Upon hearing that, Chloe's anger had burst and she started to speak in a pissed off manner.

"So what? To be taken prisoner, human? I don't think so!"

"Y'd do the same if it were any of them Princess Knights, lady. We were at war, an' it looks like a new one's takin' its place." The Drifter calmly replied to the young woman.

Gritting her teeth, Chloe had pulled out a dagger she had snatched up during her escape from the Kuro Inu's clutches and began to attack only for Corzo to grab her arm and throw her down into the ground before he snapped the same arm in the wrong direction. The result was instantaneous; Chloe screamed in agony from the impact of hitting the ground and her dislocated arm was bent far too much to heal on its own.

She began to squirm as tears welled up in her eyes. Zan was about to come to her aid only to freeze in place when the Drifter stared intently into her eyes as if he was daring her to try anything. Going down to a kneeling position, the Drifter grabbed the bent arm once more. The Dark Elf hissed in pain before the Drifter spoke.

"I'm gonna reattach your arm now, y'hear? Don't go crazy on me, miss." Not waiting for a response, Corzo had snapped the arm back into its rightful position as Chloe screamed once more, though it wasn't as loud as the previous screams.

She arched her back as she continued to writhe in pain for a few seconds. Once the pain subsided, Chloe weakly glared with welled-up eyes at the man responsible for her pain, who simply shrugged off her hate towards him. Standing up and dusting off his poncho, the Drifter tipped his hat to her and to Zan before he ushered the Orc-Demon hybrid to move forward.

Chloe pathetically spat at the Drifter's feet before she stood to her full height. She narrowed her eyes at his exposed back and then looked at the dagger below her. Picking it up, the young woman felt the urge to try again but she pushed it down, not wanting to feel that pain again. And so, with a heavy sigh, she followed closely behind Zan, mumbling curses under her breath.

Olga had seen it all happen. She watched with scrutinizing eyes as Chloe had pulled out that dagger and slashed at the Drifter. She was sure the man hadn't expected it but he surprised her when he slammed her vassal down into the ground and broke her vassal's arm. She thought he would kill her vassal then and there but the man simply snapped the arm back into its rightful place and ushering Zan to move along.

She would've scrambled to help Chloe up, but her captor, the Marine, had grabbed at her and began to carry her over his shoulder once more like a sack of potatoes. Olga weakly pounded at the back of his chest plate. She expected cold metal to be felt when she pounded her fists against his back, but she felt a new sensation that felt like the mix of wood and metal altogether but at the same time it wasn't wood and metal combined. This only registered to her after a few seconds of pounding at it.

Olga Discordia began to wonder exactly who was this man and who are his allies as they dragged/carried/ushered them to Ken.

And pray that she and her allies are spared from any harmful fate.

* * *

-Three hours later/Outskirts of Ken-

They had made it back in less than three hours. Had they allied themselves with the Kuro Inu still, it would've taken them the same four days it took them to get to the Black Fortress. The Marine exhaled making an audible sound that caught Olga's attention as she perked up from staring at his back and rear end (she would deny the latter down to her dying day).

She would've looked at his face if she weren't still carried like a sack of potatoes. She was taken by surprise then when the Marine dropped her to the grass beneath them while he releases his grip on Hae-Lin, who fell flat on her stomach softly against the grass.

"Lnd, schwt lnd! Uh hw ay msch yu!" The swordswoman's voice was muffled by the grass as she decided to make a grass angel right there and then.

Flynn shook his head at his companion's childish actions before he roughly forced Olga to stand to her feet.

"That was a bit rude, don't you think?" Olga seductively smiled at the large man only to be rudely pushed forward, making her face the main gates leading to the capital city of the Seven Shield Alliance, Ken.

"Well, aren't you the professional…" She blandly stated as she trudged forth with the Marine right behind her.

Soon, they all made it to the front gates (as soon as Hae-Lin was finished making out with the ground), with the head guard shouting at them to stop. "State your business!" the head guard stationed shouted from the guard tower.

"Gore Knight and company! We've brought Olga Discordia with us! We've business with Celestine Lucullus!" The Marine shouted back, surprising the many guards presently stationed at the main gates.

While no apparent movements were made, the Marine, his allies and their captives can all hear the hushed whispering of the many guards before someone had activated the gate's mechanism. As the gates opened up, the Marine and his companions wasted no time and had passed through them and entering the massive capital city.

As they all walked past the busy streets, they could hear the whispers of the common folk as they passed each individual building in their selected route. Many of them aimed at the ones in their capture. The Marine paid the stares and the whispers no mind as did the Drifter and the Angel of Death, but their companions had different reactions to the staring and the whispering.

Olga had taken them all in stride and gracefully walked like a true queen despite being forced forward by the Marine's shotgun, Chloe was glaring at anyone staring at her, while Zan somewhat shrunk under all the stares she was receiving.

It took them a few minutes, but they finally arrived at the palace housing Celestine Lucullus. After talking to the guards (more like persuade as the Marine had to use his Crusader Sword to get the point across and to get Celestine's current location), they were walking down one of the halls leading up to the private council room.

Olga hummed in amusement as she gazed upon the many priceless objects and paintings decorating the halls. "It's seems like it was only yesterday that I roamed down these very halls of Celestine's little home."

The group had reached the doors only for Jamal, Celestine's butler, to block their paths.

"Sir, there is currently a meeting going on. You cannot just barge in like a- HEY!" The butler didn't get to finish as the Marine forced the doors open, causing the people in the private council room to stop their discussion to look at who had barged in unannounced.

[-]

"-s you can see, Lady Celestine, our trade routes are under the threat of pirates and bandits…" One of the visitors of a foreign land had droned on as Celestine did her best to listen.

There were times she loved being queen and times were she loathed being queen. Take a wild guess on which of the two it is currently.

Right now, she and her Princess Knights were dealing with their allies from Dragundaala. Eostia and Dragundaala have been great allies over the many centuries and had aided one another during times of conflict.

On her sides were Claudia Levantine and Alicia Arcturus while the rest of her Princess Knights were sitting in the semi-circular council table on their seats while the primary Eostian nobles were sitting below them in their own semi-circular council table. Facing them was the king and queen of their ally kingdom and good friends Julian Dragundaala the III and Nina Dragundaala nee Elesa, while the primary Dragundaalan nobles sat in another council table in a manner similar to their Eostia counterparts. Sitting on another semi-circular council table were the various secondary nobles of Eostia and Dragundaala.

Julian was a middle-aged man with light brown skin and of a somewhat fit build, reaching his mid-forties already and standing at six feet straight. He wore a luxurious three-piece silvery gray suit decorated lightly despite being a king. His hair was starting to gray at the tips but they were still a healthy chocolate brown and his eyes were the color of emeralds. A nondescript golden crown adorned his head.

Nina was a beautiful woman that appears younger than her actual age of thirty-six. She had creamy white skin and was slim and fit for her age, standing at six feet tall like her husband thanks to her heels, and she had that hourglass figure much like Celestine's. Her upper clothing consisted of a white choker that covered her neck and a small area around the base of her neck, a pink corset with white fur decorations on the top that exposed the middle of her cleavage and her stomach. Her lower arms plus the area above the elbows were covered in thin white gloves that fit her figure neatly. Her lower clothing consisted of an armored skirt that barely reached her knees with her lower legs being covered by white knee-length socks while her footwear were warm brown high-heeled shoes with gold accents. Her blonde hair reached down to her shapely ass and sported a cute blue ribbon at the ending portion, while her emerald eyes hold an air of maturity that seemed to captivate any who looks into them. If one looked close enough, they'd see that her pupils were vaguely reptilian in shape.

Standing beside the royal couple was their daughter, Catue Dragundaala. She was a stunning young woman with creamy white skin much like her mother, but she had her own kind of beauty to her. She had spiky snow white hair, which had an odd purple tint at the tips, reaching down to her shapely rear. Her emerald green eyes were much like her mother's but they hold a spark of ferocity in them. Her clothing was made up of a purple leotard-corset combo that gave a good view of her cleavage. Her left shoulder sported a small pauldron and her arms were protected with gauntlets, these ones having vambraces and couters (both designed to be white feathers with pink ribbons on them). Her lower clothing consisted of thigh-high white stockings and equally white heeled shoes. Every piece of armor on her person seemed to be vaguely shaped after the various parts of a dragon such as its claws and wings.

Catue and her mother were actually Princess Knights in addition to their royal bloodline; one of the few outside of Eostian borders that Celestine knighted herself. As such she holds an authority over people but she prefers to only use her title in times where it is truly necessary. She has gotten along fine with the other Princess Knights and had already formed strong bonds with them and they had done the same with her.

Protecting the room and staying on the outskirts of said room were the Eostian knights and the Dragundaalan knights. The Eostian soldiers were elegant in how their armor appears. Finely tuned to fit the individual wearing them and sporting a glossy silver glow, these soldiers gave hope to all residing in Eostia and follow the Seven Shield Alliance. Meanwhile, the Dragundaalan soldiers were draconic in terms of their armors' appearance, living up to their country's namesake.

"And we ask of you to-"

Any words that would've come out of the nobleman's mouth died when the doors were forced open, nearly flattening the poor soldiers that were directly in front of the doors. Quickly acting, the soldiers of both countries drew their swords or pulled back the string of their bows and readied their arrows at the opened doors. Even Celestine, the Princess Knights, and Julius sprang into action and drawn their weapons from their sheaths.

"I'm sorry, Milady!" Jamal spoke from behind the doors, "I tried to stop them!"

Walking through the opened doors were three people Celestine hadn't expected to return so soon, and with three prisoners as well. Her eyes widened and she lets out a slight gasp as she recognized one of said prisoners.

"Olga?!" Her voice caused everyone else to look at Celestine and to the newly-arrived Dark Elf Queen in shock.

The Dark Elf Queen smirked in response as she spoke in a calm tone. "I see that you're still easily surprised, Celestine dear." Her eyes trailed to see the royal family of Dragundaala and her smirk got slightly bigger, "And you've brought guests! I'm surprised that you actually let strangers into your home." As she finished speaking a few had come up to approach her, those being Celestine Lucullus, Claudia Levantine, Alicia Arcturus, Julian, Nina and Catue Dragundaala.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Claudia looked ready to run her new sword into Olga's chest. That's when someone answered her question.

"Because Celestine told us to bring her here…" The Marine spoke in that gruff yet dead tone of his as he stepped in between Olga and Claudia. The Dawn Templar was about to retort until she saw the look in his eyes that made her freeze in place.

Before anything violent can happen, Celestine intervened and spoke. "Please, no violence within my abode." She gestured her soldiers to lower their weapons while Julian did the same with his soldiers a few seconds later. Turning to the Marine, the Goddess Reincarnated began.

"Thank you, Sir Marine. You have done well in your deed.'" Flynn nodded at her praise as she turned to face the other occupants in the room.

"Everyone, please… lower your arms. There's no need for violence today." Though reluctant, the soldiers in the room had sheathed their swords and lowered their bows. The Princess Knights on the other hand were still armed and ready to rush their enemy.

Alicia was about to do just that when a loud thundering roar shook just about everyone in the room. They all looked at the Marine who had his oddly-shaped cobalt and dark brown staff raised into the air with smoke coming from the top. His free hand had moved to a part of the staff and, after gripping it, pulled it downwards and releasing it. It resulted in a loud clacking sound and a brass cylindrical piece to fly out from the right side of the weapon and hit the floor below. Even Olga had flinched from the sound of the loud staff.

Hearing the crumbling of stone, the Princess Knights and the soldiers looked up to see a small part of the ceiling completely obliterated as multiple small pieces of debris fell down to the Marine, who wasn't bothered in the slightest. He did, however, grunt as he spoke to Celestine.

"Our job's done but there's been a… complication." Confused, Celestine asked the large man.

"What do you mean, Sir Marine?" Corzo answered Celestine's question. "Vult and the Kuro Inu have… revoked their allegiance to you an' ar' now stagin' a li'l coup d'état to… ann'h'late your alliance." Scoffing, Claudia challenged the Drifter's claim, not believing him one bit.

"And just where is your proof of this, cur?" The gunslinger said nothing as the large man in green plate pressed a finger onto the left side of his helmet.

This world's natives were confused as to why he was doing that until something happened. Coming from the odd metal stick on his helmet's left side was a prism of light as it hit an unoccupied wall. Many of the soldiers drew their weapons once more while some of the less aggressive individuals looked at the prism with awe and wonder.

"What manner of sorcery is this?" Olga was genuinely curious as to how the large man known as the Marine was doing this.

"Not sorcery. Technology." The Marine corrected her as he cycled through the many video logs on his helmet, more specifically the more recent entries of video logs. Once he found it, he immediately began to play it.

As everyone watched the recording of Vult's speech, many were in disbelief and others were enraged at the man's declaration for a Sex Empire. As soon as the recording of Vult had finished talking, the Marine had ended it and waited the reactions of those seated.

"That fiend…" Kaguya, one of the Princess Knights, spoke aghast at what she's seeing. She was a pale-skinned short girl, standing at five foot six much like Hae-Lin, and sported short raven black hair that went past her chin that complimented her blue eyes. She wore a shrine maiden's outfit with the outer parts in bright red and the inner parts in pinkish white, as well as wooden slippers to complete her look.

Kaguya was a Shrine Maiden of Thorn, one of the major cities of the Seven Shield Alliance. Because of her position and said position's training, Kaguya has an attunement of sorts with this world's own world of spirits, making her a bit of a fortune teller for the Princess Knights and their allies.

"H-how could he?" Prim Fiorire, Alicia's younger cousin and another Princess Knight, was scared at the man's declaration. With her pink hair flowing down to her creamy white legs and her dazzling blue eyes, this girl was the poster girl for innocence. She wore a transparent pink dress that did little to protect her from anything at all and had golden sandals/slippers as her footwear.

Maia said nothing but she was distraught at how Vult genuinely felt about all of them. The Mercenary Queen gritted her teeth, remembering all the memories she had shared with Vult, both good and bad.

Many of the people in that room right now were disgusted at the man in the recording. Once the video ended, they started to talk amongst themselves, giving different suggestions on how to deal with this.

"Eostia's been our ally for many centuries, and I would be damned if I see this monster get his way." Julian stated, earning the nods of individuals such as Claudia and the soldiers of both countries.

"We have to do something! We can't just let this mercenary ruin our country like this."

"Send soldiers to each kingdom! Send messengers!"

"We can't just do that! It'll create a panic amongst the commoners!"

Just like that, the trade negotiations were forgotten in the wake of something much worse. As the noblemen and women argued, the Marine grew tired of their incessant babbling and stomped the floor harshly, sending a slight tremor to everyone present. The results were satisfactory as everyone had closed their lips.

"There's also something else, Ma'am." That caught Celestine's attention as the Marine continued. "However, I wish to show it to you in private. If you'd like, you can bring the people you trust." The Marine scanned the room in one clean sweep before going silent once more.

Feeling eyes on him, Flynn swiftly turned his head directly at the person still looking at him. Once again, his eye twitched when he took in her appearance.

She was short, barely reaching four feet if she tried, and wore a two-piece armored bikini (at least he thinks it was such) made of animal hide underneath a green cloak that reached her knees. A tricorne hat was haphazardly placed atop her curly ginger hair, with curious green eyes looking all over his armor and (revealed) weapons like water washing over a rock in a river.

This was Ryuu-Ryuu, a Halfling and one of the Princess Knights native to Eostia. She also serves as the Master (or Mistress as she prefers) Blacksmith for the Seven Shield Alliance, creating various weapons and armors among other things for said alliance. Her kingdom of Rad was currently in the process of repeating handheld ballistae for her kingdom and her allies to use, but whatever weapons the Marine had used were far too advanced for her to make.

"_It's like our own blunderbuss but it's not! I need to know how that works!"_ She spoke in her mind as she took in the weapon's visual design, finding it practical for someone the Marine's size and something that could benefit Eostia and its allies for the coming years if he'd allow her to reverse-engineer the thing.

She flinched when the Marine had looked directly at her, shivering at how cold and distant the man felt from everything else.

Then, the Marine exhaled loudly, gaining the attention of just about everyone in the private council room.

"Is something the matter, Sir Marine?" Celestine asked as she had just sat onto her seat after speaking with the nobles of Dragundaala and of those within her country.

"When you think about it…" the man in green armor began, "Vult does have a point." Standing up in a fit of rage, Claudia began to jump to a conclusion. The others (barring Corzo and Hae-Lin) had looked to Flynn in shock, horror, surprise, or disgust.

"Are you taking his side?!" Flynn simply shot her a bland look as he raised a clenched fist, a universal military signal to stop. Lowering it as Claudia had seated herself once more, the Marine continued.

"I don't agree to what he's planning, but think about it. This war could've been ended centuries ago, but neither Celestine nor Olga," the two in question perked their heads towards the Marine, "had bothered to end it quickly. Why?"

"Because it would've strained our resources!" Julian spoke up, only to be silenced by the Marine's words.

"You could've asked for a summit. A meeting between two sides for negotiations could've spared the land of all the bloodshed that's happened so far." He had raised his voice slightly, but Corzo and Hae-Lin had noticed it where the others had not.

"But the Orcs-!" Celestine, too, was silenced by the Marine.

"Are cannon fodder… To be honest, I find it amusing all of you are struggling against them. You all used mercenaries and sent them to fight alone when your own soldiers could've helped." Flynn's little jab at them all had angered a few people within the council room.

"Oh yeah? And what are you implying, mercenary?" Turning to the speaker, Flynn had to do a double-take at the person who questioned him.

Blonde hair and a pudgy face with his fat stomach spilling from his clothes; the Doom Marine would've thought him a Mancubus in a really shitty disguise if it weren't for the fact that this fatass had no cannons encasing his arms.

"What I'm implying is," the Marine swiftly turned his attention back to the rest of the people seat, "that you face a threat made up of very little monsters where you outnumber them. If you can't face to risk loses, then you've already lost."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Maia asked.

"I've read up on this war's history and have read official reports of the various kingdoms, both Eostia _AND_ Dragundaala among others." Flynn replied, "The reports all claim that only a few of your kingdoms own soldiers have been actually fighting against the Orcs and their allies. You've made your countries weak by holding your militaries back." Gazing over each of the Princess Knights, he continued.

"And while your private order of Knights has their fair share of battles, Celestine, I highly doubt any of them have made any real decisions in a war, let alone know what it's like to be out in the field for a long time. The only person I see with that department is Maia, seeing as she once was a Kuro Inu member before going freelance." The Princess Knight in question shrunk in her seat as the attention temporarily shifted to her. Craning his neck, the Marine continued further.

"You could've taken the risks, you could've improved your military regimes, and you could've actually fought alongside the mercenaries in this war…" He stopped for a second to catch his breath, taking the same moment to harshly glare at everyone seated.

"We have!" Prim spoke up only to wilt under his gaze.

"But it appears that it wasn't enough now, was it?" Narrowing his eyes behind his visor, the Marine makes his way towards Celestine. As he neared her, he continued with his rant.

"No, it wasn't. But that didn't stop you from prolonging the damn war far too much, did it? This war could've been ended if you actually took initiative!" By the third sentence, the Marine had been close to shouting and swearing at the Goddess Reincarnated.

"And now look where that's gotten all of you bitches! A fucking madman's now recovering in the Black Fortress while the monsters Olga had controlled," the Dark Elf in question looked down (whether in shame or something else, none would know), "are now in his command. And with all that loot in the Black Fortress, which I am damn sure is a shit ton of treasure, he'll recover the numbers he lost during this little siege and much more." He had given a logical point to them, one they cannot argue with even if they could.

"Because of that," using his helmet's projector feature (which also doubles as a flashlight), Flynn had projected onto the map revealing a tactical analysis of Garran and the Badlands surrounding it before highlighting the Black Fortress, "staging an attack and launching it would take days if you picked up the slack, maybe weeks if you're shit-ass lazy." The people seated would've taken offense to his words if they weren't amazed by his helmet's projection.

"_It's like a skilled painter had drew this while flying on a dragon's back!"_ Catue thought as she and the others were curious as to how the Marine was doing this. Speaking of which, he went silent as someone else spoke.

"Vult's a war hero, like it or not. Even if we attack the north with preparations, there's a chance the people in the south will retaliate. The Kuro Inu is the biggest mercenary group there is, so it'll be no surprise that Vult can recover those losses." Hae-Lin had spoken up as she cleaned her sword with a cloth.

"Furthermore, it'll be difficult because he's a war veteran, someone that knows how to fight on both the battlefield and on the map." Once she had finished her peace, the Marine nodded before turning off his projector.

"Now then," with his hand, the Marine shoved Olga forward with his two companions doing the same to their charges, "what to do with them?"

"Burn them at the stake!" Alicia suggested as she narrowed her eyes at the Dark Elves and the blueskinned woman.

"Why stop there? How 'bout we beat out every single piece of information right outta them first?" Maia had piped in as she shot the three a dirty grin.

"I think there were some forbidden rituals for controlling the sky in our temple," Kaguya stated, "Maybe we could use them as sacrifices?"

"She's started this war, it's only fitting that she ends with it!" A nobleman from Dragundaala spoke. Many individuals nodded or spoke their agreements to his words.

"An' they say I was remorseless." Corzo muttered under his breath. Grabbing his bullwhip, the gunslinger cracked it, sending a loud whipping sound that silenced everyone in the room.

"We didn't bring her 'ere to be ex'cut'd." When he saw few protesting and as the Princess Knights were giving of hateful and harsh glares, he silenced them with harsh glares. "We brought her 'ere because Miss Celestine o'er there," the High Elf in question seemingly shrunk into her seat, "want'd her ol' frien' back. She di'n't hire me an' my frien's to end this war… She just wanted to be wi' li'l miss Discordia. Am I wrong, Miss Celestine?" Hearing no form of denial, the gunslinger continued.

"Now," the Drifter began to walk around the room, "y'can say otherwise, y'can bitch and moan all day long. But if any o' yee tries ta… discomfort our charges… Well…" he trailed off as his other hand had drawn his Thunderhawk from his holster and began to twirl it at a hypnotizing pace.

"You're gonna 'ave to take it up to my revolver 'ere." Cracking his neck to one side, the man in the poncho spoke up once more.

"Regardless," Nina Dragundaala spoke up, "that still leaves as to how this woman could earn redemption." The Drifter chuckled, the sound sending shivers up the spines of this world's natives.

"Li'l Olga o'er 'ere could redeem herself by workin' fo' us." At this point, Alicia had shot up and vehemently spoke to the Drifter while pointing at Olga accusingly.

"Are you jesting, you ruffian?! That woman is the sole cause of all of this! She's a monster! Countless lives lost and countless more ruined! And you're willing to look past all of that?! I wouldn't be surprised if you were under her spell already when you were heading here!"

The atmosphere had grown tense, with many individuals waiting with baited breath as the Drifter had remained silent. After what could be their most tense nine seconds, the Drifter had spoken up. And with his voice, they heard the hidden anger within his tone.

Celestine and Olga both thought of it as an inferno mixed with a typhoon, making the two monarchs to feel very uncomfortable with just being in the same room as the gunslinger. As was everyone else barring two, the air in the room being like it was suffocating them.

"Under her spell, li'l missy?" He began to near her, the spurs on his boots slowly turning and jingling with each step that he took. "D'you really b'lieve that I am under her thrall, li'l girl?" Alicia would've reeled back if it weren't for her seat as the Drifter became dangerously close to her. She could feel his breath by her ear and neck, sending a grim shiver down her spine.

"Y'must'ave very low faith in someone like me 'f'you think that. Stupid girl…" He reached with one hand Alicia's shoulder and held it firmly, making the young princess squirm in his grasp.

"My patience with you grows thin, child. So I shall only implore you once, Alicia Arcturus. Sit. Down. And you won't get hurt beyond the embarrassment right now." The tone was quiet, not exactly quiet as a mouse, but as if Death itself was right behind each and every one of them.

The Iris Knight was in no position to argue as she quickly took her seat once more as she shook like a frail leaf, her cousin refusing to make eye contact with the Drifter and finding the table more interesting than anything else as of the moment.

Seeing the young girl taught her place, Corzo backed off as he went back to where he was before. As soon as he was where he originally stood, he continued.

"Now, Olga and her two friends 'ave been livin' in Garran and in the surro'ndin' Badlands for some time. They know the lay of the land and of what lurks around the dark corners. That could've been lost if y'all killed them off. I say we let 'em live, under our protection and rules. That way, we can avoid a complication while fightin' Vult and his li'l men." Having said his peace, atmosphere had lightened making everyone else finding it easy to breathe again.

Celestine was the first to recover as she cleared her throat. "Well, that does seem like a logical choice." Turning to her rival and old friend, the Goddess Reborn asked, "What do you think, Olga?"

"It's not as if I had any real choice in this matter now do I, Celestine?" The Dark Elf Queen sighed, "Fine, I'll be your singing bird until this war's over." She smirked deviously as she added, "And I would take this opportunity to get back at that man and his damn mercenaries for taking my home."

Beaming at her answer, Celestine then looks to the three powerful individuals that she had hired. "Just one last thing to do before this meeting is adjourned."

"Sir Marine, Sir Drifter, and Lady Angel, for your success on your mission and for reporting back to us of this new revelation, I wish to reward you." She smiled as she continued, "Now please… kneel."

Looking at one another, the three were uncertain on how to continue before finally one of them took initiative and knelt down with the two others quickly following. Frowning, the beautiful elf asked to two of them.

"Sir Marine and Sir Drifter, would you both be kind as to remove your helm and hat?" The two in questioned remained silent before complying with her orders. Corzo was first, a hand reaching to his hat and removing it. Flynn was next, using both hands to remove his helmet properly.

Once the hat was off, the shadows obscuring Corzo's face had slowly disappeared but the glow in his eyes remained eternal.

Once the shadows fully disappeared and revealed his face, many of the occupants gasped at it. Extremely pale to the point it were beyond inhuman with a purplish tint to it, the face of the Drifter was physically much like a 20-year old male who regularly checks his body to remain fit and healthy. He would've been more handsome if it weren't for the fact that that his current emotion was a hidden rage behind a calm façade.

As for Flynn, his helmet hissed as it lessened its grip on him and allowing its wearer to remove it safely.

Once his face was revealed, just about everyone but his two companions had gawked, gasped and gave other reactions. It was hard not to see why, too.

Middle-aged (about physically a man in his forties) with blood red eyes that _glow_, with a shaved chin and his light brown hair being kept low, Flynn Taggert was an intimidating man thanks to his face and his size. Multiple wounds decorated his face (and possibly his body, many of them could only hope of the opposite), ranging from minor scars to burn marks and slash marks. His left eye brow had been damaged by two claw marks (courtesies of a Hell Knight that got the jump on him) while a part on the right portion of his face sported a grayish spot that continued until the right side of his scalp (a farewell gift of a Hell Baron that happened so long ago). Even his neck had a gash of sorts marring it (a little nibble from a Pinky which he returned the gesture with his Great Communicator going down its throat).

To say the both of them look like they went through Hell was a massive, _MASSIVE_ understatement.

Feeling rude for staring, Celestine quickly recovered from her shock as she regarded their faces while she stood from her seat and approached them.

"I… I wish to know your full names, kind sirs and miss. I would appreciate if you told us your names so as to do this properly." Without hesitation, the Drifter and the Marine spoke their respective names.

"Corzo White, miss."

"Flynn Taggert."

"Jung Hae-Lin." Hae-Lin introduced herself as she knelt beside Corzo, now completing the identities of the three. Celestine smiled. Finally, they were getting somewhere. She started to speak to them.

"Flynn Taggert, Corzo White, Jung Hae-Lin, my country and that of my allies are once again threatened. A madman and his army are moving as we speak. You three have each done your services greatly for the people and I ask of you all to do so once again. Are you willing?"

"Considering we started the damn thing, might as well end it." Flynn answered gruffly as he cracked his knuckles.

"I am yours to command, miss." Corzo spoke and tipped his hat to Celestine.

"Oh, you bet your ass I'm willing to kick some ass!" Hae-Lin enthusiastically answered Celestine as she pumped a fist into the air. With a delicate touch on their shoulders, Celestine spoke.

"Then with the power granted as the Goddess Reborn and ruler of this country, I, Celestine Lucullus knight thee three. Now rise up, my new knights, and aid us in this dark era."

The Marine nodded his thanks as he stood up, the Drifter tipped his hat to her, and the Angel of Death flashed a toothy grin.

As the newly-knighted Marine, Drifter, and Angel of Death looked around, they saw many of the other occupants lightly clapping and others giving nods of approval.

Turning to the Goddess Reincarnated, the Marine simply asked one thing.

"Who do you want me to **rip and tear** first?"

* * *

**20K words, 37 pages, and one tired-as-all-fuck author at the end of it all. There! Are you guys satisfied? Keep it up with the reviews and the follows and favs, they really motivate me to continue this thing to the very end. If you're interested, why don't you read some of my other stories and tell me what you think of them through reviews? Again, it really motivates me.**

**Now I know I said not next chapter that Doomguy will harm Vult but I had to do something to fuel the tension.**

**For those who play Doom Mods and Total Conversions of the Doom Engine, you guys might know **Zan** and **Balth'Azar**. For those who don't, Zan is from the Doom TC (Total Conversion) called **Hedon**, it's a really good TC with its own lore and storyline to boot while you play as the sexy blueskinned Orc-Demon hybrid Zan.**

**(**Zan** and** Hedon** are owned by **Zan_HedonDev**)**

**Meanwhile, Balth'Azar is from a Doom gameplay mod called **Hearts of Demons – BARON**. The mod puts you into the role of an unnamed (at least I think so because I can't exactly play the mod for some reason) [EDIT **05-20-2018**: Now I can! And the Baron really is unnamed for all intents and purposes] Baron of Hell that has a weird hatred for anything cybernetic. Said Baron also has been betrayed by the current rulers of Hell (the **Spider Masterminds**) and said current rulers also have weakened the **Icon of Sin**, which lead it to be destroyed by Doomguy. After being sealed away for a long time, the Baron was weakened with the many runes and seals powering him gone.**

**(**Balth'Azar** and **Hearts of Demons - BARON** belong to **Brohnesorge**)**

**Now you guys may be wondering as to why the Baron was able to go toe-to-toe/mano e mano with Flynn. This is because I've read Hearts of Demons – BARON's backstory and I find it a really interesting thing to add.**

**If you recall last chapter, I decided to use the DOOM 2016 **Slayer Testaments** as a sort of backstory for our doomed space marine. I mean come on! Who doesn't feel all giddy and excited listening to each of them and knowing that Doomguy's been hounding Hell's eternal ass for countless millennium?**

**Balth'Azar knows who the Doom Slayer is but he doesn't exactly react in fear. He instead reacts in respect of sorts. As for Olga trying to command him with his name and him outright hinting that knowing a demon's true name isn't a surefire way to control him, I thought I could make things a little bit interesting with that moment.**

**And yes, I've added another H-Series into the mix and that is **Princess Knight Catue**. The reason why is because I read up a Naruto-X-Kuroinu crossover called **Naruto's Assault on Kuroinu: The Order of Chivalry Strikes Back **by **Raptorcloak**. As much as I have grown tired of Naruto fanfictions over the years, I actually find the author's idea of mixing a couple of fantasy hentai series together pretty well. So expect a few other H-Animes to appear sooner or later.**

**(**EDIT 01-27-2019 AD 02:24 PM – Changed the scene in where Doomguy meets Alicia for the first time to be less tense and a bit more formal as well as corrected a small error on Olga's description on her appearance**)**


	4. DOOM: Puer Infernalis Chapter 4: 3: De partium vitae, a Doom + Kuroinu: Kedakaki Seijo wa Hakudaku ni Somaru Crossover fanfic | FanFiction

**DOOM: Puer Infernalis**

**Y'know, at first I thought you guys were giving me pity views but now that I know those views and reviews are fookin legit genuine, I've been motivated by God knows mudafukin wat to make a new chapter with the same (possibly less, possibly more) quality previous chappies have been made from. Although don't expect it to be 20K words like chapter 2 was, just a heads up for y'all.**

**Since people liked how I introduced Zan and Balth'Azar, I'm gonna set up a poll on which Doom Mod Character/Protagonist you guys want to see appear next. The one that gets the most votes comes first and I'll try to see if I could write up a situation where they will appear.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

[Chapter 3: _De partium vitae_/_Life at the _party]

-Capital of Ken/09:37:53 AM Galactic Standard Time/One Month Later-

A month has passed since the Kuro Inu had begun their rebellion and their conquest for their so-called Sex Empire. The Seven Shield Alliance and their allies had been ill-prepared for the most part but with the help of three foreign individuals they were able to recover and defend their kingdoms and the surrounding towns.

After a day had passed when the Marine, the Drifter, the Angel of Death and their captives had arrived in Ken, Vult (after a surprisingly quick recovery, no doubt Kin's doing with his magic) had his more able mercenaries attack some of the more distant villages and towns. Hae-Lin was right, his reputation as a war hero had worked in the man's favor. When word of declaration of his Sex Empire had reached the main kingdoms, many who supported the Kuro Inu had begun to rebel and escape, adding more to the mercenary company's ranks.

On the fourth day, the Kuro Inu had become bolder and started to do skirmishes on the more well-defended towns and cities a good distance away from the capitals of the kingdoms.

With quick thinking, the Seven Shield Alliance had responded by sending more troops to the towns and villages that were still intact. They were able to repel most of the attacks and had sustained little losses due to their numbers and their fortifications.

Luckily it seemed that the fates were kind to them in this war. When the word of Vult's mad plan had reached the kingdoms, many who originally thought of Vult and the Kuro Inu as heroes had been horrified at this and had decided to lend their aid to the Seven Shield Alliance. Nobles, wandering mercenaries, and even commoners were enlisting to fight back against the famed mercenary company that had rebelled against the Alliance.

For Olga and her two companions, they had settled relatively well in the capital of Ken. Olga was often seen at Celestine's side reminiscing their old days of friendship or simply taking strolls on the castle grounds. There were a few who hated her presence but could not do a thing about it as she was always within the company of her personal bodyguard Chloe and of the blueskin known as Zan.

Chloe still held her role as Olga's personal retainer. In addition to that, she was also now given the role as a spy sent to ferret out any traitors within the Alliance. No such luck on that department as all of those she had inspected from the cover of shadows had no such ties with the now rebelling Kuro Inu.

Zan was currently working as one of the blacksmiths for the Alliance. Her weaponry, such as the Nail-Rifle, are currently being reverse-engineered by Rad's Halfling's as they are far more simple than the weapons carried by the Gore Knight, the Drifter, and the Angel of Death.

Speaking of our three dimension traveling demon slayers, the three are currently residing in the palace for now as the new knights of Celestine's order. They are currently residing inside of the White Fortress, the very symbol and main point of interest in all of Ken.

Flynn, right now, sighed as he sat down on one of the sturdier benches in the forge as he begun to perform maintenance on his weapons. Currently, he was working on his M40 SMG, the sub-machine-gun broken down into multiple parts as he was tweaking it.

Celestine had been kind enough to show him and his friends where the forgery was as a token of her appreciation. He scoffed at remembering that.

If the so-called Goddess Reincarnated thought she could sway them in her favor then she was dead wrong. He'll end this war, but he won't be buddy-buddy with her or her Princess Knights.

She and her stupid little group of pretty princesses had been playing the role of good against Olga's supposed evil. It was unnecessary and too damn childish. He would've chuckled if not for the fact that he was now one of her elite fighters in this new war.

Getting rid of that train of thought before it could do him in so to speak, Flynn started to examine the many pieces and parts of his M40. Why is he doing this, you might ask? It's because he's currently trying to replicate some of his firearms as spares or in case he needs to dish out twice the damage with twice the guns. There was only one thing that had caught him in a snag, however.

This world's materials were too fragile to actually successfully replicate any of his firearms. Seriously! The steel used for their swords, arrowheads, and whatnot were too damn weak compared to the metals that made up his gun parts. Unfortunately, the Halfling named Ryuu-Ryuu was unable to help him out and give him the proper (somewhat) materials as she and her kingdom of Rad are busy creating new swords and other armaments for the Seven Shield Alliance.

There was some good news in this, though, and that was him being able to create an accurate model made out of wood and metal scraps as a base at least until he actually gets the more proper materials. It couldn't fire any modern 10mm rounds, however, so he had to keep it as a mock model to keep as a reference in case he actually can truly replicate at least one of his firearms someday.

"Are you still here, Sir Taggert?" a voice called out, making the Marine/Hellwalker know that he wasn't alone in the forge anymore. Glancing over his shoulder, he sees Claudia's husband Klaus Curtis Levantine, scholar and only son of Grave Levantine.

Klaus stood at six feet straight with silvery gray hair and a lampshade mustache to go along with his average Caucasian skin tone coloring his average build. He wore a somewhat puffy lime-green tunic with white cuffs over a pair of light-beige pants, said pants' lowers were currently tucked inside of knee-length dark brown boots. Over his tunic was a dull maroon vest of sorts that was open by the sides to reveal the tunic as well as in the front. There was a white piece of cloth attached to the vest while a small brown piece of cloth was wrapped around his neck like one would an ascot.

Flynn simply grunted and gave a nod as the scholar approached him. Klaus was someone he could tolerate compared to just about everyone else native to this world. While he was the husband of Claudia, who hated the Marine for petty reasons he'd rather not list, Klaus had approached him in a friendly and curious gesture.

"I see that you're still trying to replicate your own weaponry." He simply nodded in response to Klaus's words. Flynn then begins to reassemble his SMG and store it away into subspace as Klaus looks with intrigue.

"So that's how you carry multiple weapons without feeling their combined weight. That's interesting, Sir Taggert. Is it magic by any chance?" To the scholar's surprise, the Marine shook his head.

"The advancements of technology…" He kept his answer straight to the point as he stood from the bench and started to leave, the scholar following at a respectable distance.

"Ah… I see." Klaus then asked, "Still, it is amazing that technology of your nation has rivaled magic, maybe even surpassed it." The Marine kept silent but nodded nonetheless.

That was the official story the Hellwalker, the Drifter, and the Angel of Death have all agreed on. They hail from a continent made of multiple nations much like Eostia. Unlike said continent, the one the three hail from had strayed away from magic and preferred to become stronger through advancing their technology. Things had gotten out of hand, however, forcing the continent to close off any and all interactions with the outside world. It was just a way for the three to describe how the UAC fucked up without making it sound too suspicious.

"Yeah, amazing…" He grumbled before he went out into an open courtyard, Klaus deciding to follow him once more. This courtyard was built to train archers and other fighters specializing in ranged attacks as indicated by various bows, throwing knives, tomahawks, crossbows, and even some firearms of the wheel-lock, flintlock and percussion cap variety being arranged in a neat order in multiple racks at the sides while multiple arrows and throwing weapons were embedded deep into the various targets set across the range.

Currently there were a few individuals from Maia's warrior band practicing their ranged combat prowess. Flynn saw Maia herself using a fairly intricate longbow, a dark brown in shade and sporting golden engravings, having readied a new arrow. He internally scoffed, finding the supposedly beautiful weapon atrocious in his eyes. He was well aware of the advantages engravings give to a person were absolute jack shit.

Still, he kept his thoughts to himself as the Mercenary Queen had drawn back the string and aligned the arrow to where she wants it to go.

She took a deep breath, lining up the shot as time seemed to slow down for her, and released her grip on the bow's string. The arrow flew, swift and steady as it nailed the target she was aiming for straight through the neck. She smirked as her arrow had made contact as she readies a new arrow. Repeating the process from before, Maia scores another hit on a further away target, this time the arrow hitting the area where one's stomach should be.

He found it underwhelming, as the targets were just over 30 feet/9.12 meters away. The Marine decides to make his presence known by clearing his throat lightly, making everyone in the range turn to him. The Mercenary Queen gave a toothy grin when she realized who it was.

"Hey, stranger. Fancy seeing you here." Flynn nodded in response as he approached with Klaus in tow.

"Oh, Klaus, I didn't see you there." The scholar nodded his reply to Maia's words as the Marine took one of the spare bows from the rack. Heading towards an unoccupied spot, the Marine readies the wooden bow, pulling back the string as he loads an arrow.

He didn't took as much time as Maia when she was using her bow and released the string, making the arrow fly fast and hit the target rather hard. The impact of the arrow caused the target to lose its head with the rest of the body being thrown off its post/mount, gaining looks of surprise from the others within the courtyard.

Not even waiting for any verbal response, the Marine repeated the process in quick succession, doing the same result to the more distant targets over 120 feet/36.58 meters away.

"Holy shit!" Maia swore light-heartedly as she assessed the results of Flynn's little rapid fire. "That's some fine archery you got in your blood, Taggert."

He simply grunted before putting away the bow into its rack and taking out one of the flintlock pistols they had in their possession. He was disgusted at the sight of it.

Its body was wooden and its moving parts were steel, but those weren't what caused his slightly disgust. Much like Maia's own bow, it was engraved. Each and every firearm they had in the racks were engraved heavily with gold or silver all across their frames, making the super soldier see exactly what was the problem.

These idiots spent too much time looking pretty.

"As you can see, Sir Taggert," Klaus began, "we've been experimenting to see if our black powder can do things other than explode. While nowhere near your level, I can safely say that we are getting close to said level to turn the tide against the Kuro Inu."

The Marine will have to test that claim now, won't he?

Deciding to test it against his better judgment, the Marine took aim at a target around 30 feet/9.12 meters away and fired, the pistol barking weakly as it was triggered. The .50-caliber ball, launched by muzzle-loaded black powder, missed completely with its supposed target emerging unscathed.

That was pathetic.

Unceremoniously, he dropped the flintlock as he pulled out his M45 handgun from subspace. Aiming with one hand and lining up the front sight with the rear sights, the Marine pulled the trigger once. The result was obvious with the .45-caliber highly pressurized round rapidly smashed into the target dead center in the chest and blowing a large hole through it.

That was much better.

Turning to Klaus, and indirectly the others who have flinched and covered their ears from the handgun's sharp noise in contrast to the flintlock's quiet-ish barks, the Marine simply spoke. "Your people are pretty far behind. Too much time on looks, less time on actual function," Bringing up his handgun, he elaborated.

"Look at mine. No gold, no silver, but it does the job like it should." Gesturing to the dropped flintlock, he said, "Engravings do jack shit in actually giving the advantage."

"Well what about personal preference, ruffian?" Turning his head to meet Eliza's eyes, he answered with his own question.

"What happens if your fancy sword's taken from you and you're dead?" He heard no response from Maia's second-in-command. "Thought so," he muttered, grabbing the dropped flintlock and putting it back into the rack.

Without another word, he pulls out the M4 Devastator HMG/HAR from subspace and takes aim, flicking the fire-selector switch to semi-automatic. The moment the scope aligned with the target furthest away, he pulled the trigger; the .50-BMG round destroying the wooden target and sending splinters everywhere.

The loud bang from the blocky weapon resonated throughout the castle, making everyone around the Marine jump at the sudden roaring sound. He didn't even wait for them to recover as he shot nine more targets in quick succession, sending out many splinters of varying sizes everywhere.

Everyone had covered their ears in an attempt to lessen the loud roars that came from the large green knight's weapon as they witnessed it launch ten golden yellow spears that destroyed the targets at the far end of the courtyard. Klaus's eyes widened as did the others as the realization came to them.

They were far behind in terms of firepower around the Marine's level.

"Like I said," the Marine's voice was muffled due to their ears ringing from earlier but they could still hear him, "far behind." He then reloads the machine-gun by cocking the charging handle, opening up the feed tray cover and removing the belt, replacing the box with a new one from subspace with the discarded one going back to said dimension, closing the feed tray cover and finally cocking the charging handle one final time, sending a 12.7x100mm/.50-BMG round into the chamber.

To his left side, he could hear the doors open with multiple footsteps rapidly approaching towards his position. Turning his head slightly, he could see the Iris Knights and their leader, Alicia Arcturus, as the ones who had barged into the courtyard.

"What happened here?!" In an instant, a lot of hands were pointed at Flynn, who only continued to fiddle with his M4 before keeping it away in subspace.

Alicia clicked her teeth in annoyance at the large man in green. While he was on their side, he has showed no form of compassion or friendliness towards any of them. Every time he spoke to either Lady Celestine or any of them, he would always go down to business and never any trivialities or friendly banter. And whenever some of the more… assertive nobles tried to approach him with their authority, he would simply brush them off or outright intimidate them. It was as if he thinks he was higher than them! It made her sick that someone like him was to think like that.

"Sir Taggert," she spoke with some disdain in her tone. The man simply acknowledged her with a grunt as he turned his head a bit more to see her face.

"I suppose it was _you_ who cause that ruckus?" Flynn simply shrugged off her question as he crossed his arms at her and her group.

"If I did, what would you do about it?" His question irritated her, making the Princess of Feoh grit her teeth in annoyance and she was tempted to draw her sword when she remembered the last time someone had drew their sword on the large man in green. She remembered exactly what happened to Claudia's sword nearly two weeks ago. She won't make the same mistake; she'll strike faster when she gets the chance.

"Your contraption had interrupted something important." She stated as if it was obvious. The Marine simply cocked his head to the side, not really getting her point.

"That being?" The Marine didn't really see what was so important. He needed to sharpen his skills; he couldn't afford to be stale. Wasn't that important?

"Lady Celestine's private meeting!" She snapped at him, eye twitching as she stomped on the ground. That was really cute. No, it was something even more than cute. It was fucking adorable. If this pathetic excuse of a knight thought she could intimidate him with her light voice, red face and petite frame, he'll prove her wrong.

Still, he could care any less of whatever Celestine was doing. Politics and boardroom meets weren't his strong suit. His main and most reliable forms of persuasion came from his brute force and weaponry.

He simply shrugged once more as his posture relaxed somewhat as he cracked his knuckles. Turning to Maia, he began.

"Where's the other training yard?" She blinked in confusion at first before she responded.

"I-It's on the western wing of the castle. Why do you ask?" Not even bothering to answer the Mercenary Queen's question, the Marine turned on his heel and began to make his way to the other training yard.

"Hey!" Alicia's voice reached his ears. "I'm not done with you, cretin!" But he was done with her, so he simply brushed off her attempts of commanding him. Tempted was he to flip her off but he found such an action immature and childish. He had much better things to do than listen to a little girl whining.

Alicia Arcturus narrowed her eyes at the retreating figure of the Marine. She did not appreciate his brushing her off like she was dirt on his shoulder. "Bastard," she muttered under her breath before fiercely taking one of the intricate bows from the rack and readying an arrow. Taking aim, she launched the arrow towards her target.

The arrow practically missed and impacted with the stone floor beneath it. That made her a bit angrier if her tightening grip on the bow was any indication. "Dammit," she cursed at her poor aim and readied another arrow. Taking aim at the same target, she launched the arrow.

* * *

-With the Marine/Castle Halls-

Soon, the Marine was wandering the halls passing some of the castle's staff members and some of the knights stationed there currently. His large size, green armor, and overall menacing aura made many of them steer clear of him, which served him fine as he preferred that over many people swarming him.

In all honesty, he found his current situation rather bland compared to the times he had spent chasing Hell's forces or had spent in Hell. He could say he had come to miss the company the Hellspawn had given him. That didn't really surprise him as much as he thought it would, but then again his humanity was long gone the second he died back in Phobos and had entered Hell itself for the first time.

Those thoughts made him stop in his tracks. Bringing up one of his gauntlet-clad hands, Flynn started to clench and unclench it in a rhythmic manner as he pondered in the back of his mind. Had he really rejected his humanity so casually and consider himself equal to the demons he has killed over the countless years? He shook his head slightly. Of course not, he was worse, _far_ worse than they could ever hope to be.

He was broken out of his thoughts when he heard footsteps approaching him from behind. Taking a glance back, he saw that it was none other than Catue Dragundaala. It looked like she was alone apart from him and those wandering the halls she was also currently walking inside of.

"Can I help you, Your Highness?" his voice seemed to have an effect as she somewhat flinched at how gruff and dead it sounded.

"A-ah… Sir Taggert… I, uhm… I didn't…" Catue mumbled the last few words as she refused to make eye contact with him.

"Hmm?" he had no time to dilly-dally, so he'll have to make sure this was quick. "What do you want?" He spoke in a strict tone, making the Princess Knight look at him and stutter.

"I-I was h-hoping if you would… y-you would… would…" seriously? Was his presence _that_ intimidating? He was about to leave when the girl finally found her voice.

"I-I was wondering if you would be coming to the party tonight?" Turning his upper torso to get a better look at the girl, the Marine simply replied with a question of his own.

"I don't remember being invited."

"House Pantielle wishes for you and your two compatriots to be the guests of honor, seeing as you three were personally knighted by Lady Celestine herself." He brought his hand to cup his visor-concealed face. Great, it was the one thing he hated besides Hell itself.

Parties of the rich kind. He supposed he was going to wear a tux and dance with some people at the party?

"O-of course! Lord Pantielle had said so whilst speaking with me and the others." Had he said that out loud? Regardless, he fully turned to face the small girl, who shrunk as the obvious height difference made itself known, and replied.

"We're at war, Princess."

"It wasn't my idea, Sir Taggert. But I didn't come here to force you," he highly doubted a frail little girl could force him to do anything, really, "I came here for a request." He narrowed his eyes from behind his cold visor. Interesting…

"And that is?" She seemed to have shed off her nervousness and had gained some steel in their place as she looked at him straight in the face.

"Lady Maia had been invited and Lord Pantielle's son, Michelle," he could not for the eternal life and rage of him fathom who the sweet buttery fuck was dumb enough to give their son a woman's name, "is infatuated with her." Catue visibly shuddered for a bit before steeling herself and continuing, "He disgusts many and brings shame to the word 'man'. I would be grateful if you could protect Maia from that disgusting piece of flesh."

So the girl was worried for her friend? Admirable and noble, he idly mused. The gears in his head turned faster than they usually do, obviously coming up with a response and a plan.

"Fine, I'll go." The Princess Knight of Dragundaala beamed at that. "But I won't be wearing a damn tux and go dancing." To the surprise of anyone else, Catue Dragundaala simply nodded and chose not to protest at that condition.

"Thank you, Sir Taggert. Oh! And the party starts when dusk has arrived. Don't be late," he nodded and turned on his heel, the Princess Knight doing the same, leaving to their respective destinations. That is, until Catue remembered one more thing, making her turn to the Marine again.

"O-oh right, of course! Sir Taggert!" Hearing her call, he stopped in his tracks and glanced at her from over his shoulder.

"Lady Celestine and Lady Olga have requested that you are to meet with them as soon as you are available." Nodding, the Marine continued towards his destination. He'll visit them later on. Right now, he has some things to tend to.

* * *

-Seven Hours Later/ Halls leading to Celestine's Private Quarters/05:10:01 PM Galactic Standard Time-

The Marine walked down the halls leading up to Celestine's private quarters after he was done with his business whose details are best left known only to him and him alone. Along the walls were various portraits of rulers of Eostia's old eras and of Princess Knights long past the current order. Various names, locations, and other such things were written neatly in a writing that could only be described as connecting the dots on Braille letterings. He paid these no heed as he reached the doors that led to Celestine's private quarters.

Intricately carved, they were, with various runes running along the sides. The two doors were reinforced with silver and ivory.

He paid them no heed as well as he swiftly opened them both with his two hands, resulting in a somewhat loud impact of intricate wood and magically crafted stone.

He saw the two on the bed, one relaxing without a care for the world and the other grooming herself. When he had opened the doors, the two had differing reactions from his entrance.

Olga Discordia, lying down on the bed, sultrily glanced towards him and gave a seductive smirk that would work on lesser men. He internally scoffed. He'd seen succubi do more than that to garner his attention for more than a second.

Celestine, on the other hand, had squeaked in response and had jumped from her spot on the bed, the comb in her hands sent flying from the momentum.

Lazily moving his foot, the comb harmlessly bounced onto the stone floor. Kicking it lightly, the Marine steps into the room. Celestine had smiled at him as he stepped in while Olga simply did what she was doing before.

"You wanted to see me, Ma'am?" He spoke to Celestine as he closed the doors from behind him. He could see her facial expressions shift from smiling to looking downtrodden for some reason. Had something happened while he took his time to get here?

"Y-Yes, Sir Taggert, I did." Using her hands to fix her hair, the Goddess Reincarnated repositions herself to a better sitting position. She noticed that the Marine's posture wasn't relaxed. Celestine frowned at that.

"You seem tense, Sir Taggert. Would it kill you if you just took a little time to relax?" Olga asked as she continued to lie down on the bed. He was, but for a reason different from what they were thinking. He had a job to do, and nothing, not even two well-endowed and scantily-clad females, would stop him from finishing it.

"I'll relax when Hell is frozen," was the Marine's answer to Olga as he looked directly at her. She was about to retort but the Dark Elf Queen thought better of it. Celestine sensed the conviction behind the large man's tone. She was about to question it but she too had decided against it and instead focused on getting her new knight to relax.

"Please, Sir Taggert, relax. We just wanted to talk with you." She told him as she straightened any stray strands of hair.

"About what, Ma'am?" The Marine tilted his attention to Celestine.

"W-well, you of course," Celestine smiled at him as she answered his question. The Marine gave her a look she couldn't discern thanks to the large man's face being covered by his helmet and visor.

"Why?" Olga butted in before she could give him her answer.

"Dear Celestine here wants to know you better. She's been reading those foolish human romance novels again," she spoke with mock annoyance, much to her old friend's chagrin. Celestine shot Olga with a heated but childish glare with said Dark Elf Queen simply smirking in response.

The Marine didn't feel right with what Olga just told him. Nothing about his life was interesting in a sense where both parties involved can get to know one another but rather in a sense where it is to be respected and feared at the same time. He doubts any of the two elves could stomach any interesting parts of him he could tell them. And he was still irritated at Celestine's choice of knighting him and his two allies/friends.

"There's nothing much for me to say, Ma'am," the Marine spoke monotonously, making the Goddess Reborn shake her head in response to his words.

"Nonsense," she said as she gestured the Marine to come closer, which he did with no hesitation. "Surely there must be something from your life that can enthrall many for generations to come." Cupping his chin with one hand, it was clear Flynn was trying to recall anything interesting that didn't involve demons, gore, ripping, tearing, and similar matters.

"All of them involve violence, Ma'am. Amounts far higher than what you and Miss Discordia have experienced and done," he spoke grimly.

"Then would you at least tell us a tale of one of your battles?" Celestine asked kindly, with Olga turning to lie down on her stomach as she idly swung her legs and cupped her chin with both her hands in which they oddly formed a heart in their combined shape.

"Preferably the ones with just a little violence and a bit more dashing, hmm?"

"Most of my battles were brutal and without mercy. Usually on my enemies rather than me or my allies," his replied made the Dark Elf Queen of the Jagged Crown pout at that.

"Well then, at least answer us this," she relented, clearly wanting to know more about the Marine as much as Celestine. "Why do you call yourself a Marine?"

"Because my first few missions involve skirmishes conducted on amphibious terrain. And because I am a soldier sworn to uphold any given mission I partake in."

The answer satisfied Olga, it seemed, as she made no verbal response and continued to gaze upon him in her current posturing of her body.

"Are they dangerous?" Celestine inquired no doubt about his work and the missions that come along with it.

"They are, Ma'am. Mostly because the little shits turned a shootout into hide and seek," Flynn answered as he remembered his times in the UN Marine Corps. Most of the gunfights he had been in started out as straightforward as any gunfight would be, until some of the little bastards thought it were good ideas to start hiding and tire him and his fellow soldiers out.

At least the demons he had faced were straightforward, preferring to rush him in overwhelming numbers to anyone lesser than him. Even the greenskins and their allies in this world were easier to kill. But he still appreciated the challenge (even if they were short) that his human enemies had given to him.

"So you must have been trained by someone remarkable then, Sir Taggert? Surely someone must've taught you how to fight so efficiently," she stated.

"Unfortunately, Ma'am, the training my fellow soldiers and I went through was simply the basics. Every advance form of combat I know was something I learned on my own accord, not because someone told me to," Flynn answered. He saw Olga using her magic to levitate a teapot and a teacup towards her and making the former fill up the latter.

"Well, enough about battles for now," the Dark Elf spoke as she received the cup and sipped its contents. "I am curious on one thing, however. Do you have someone special in your life, Sir Taggert?"

He did, once a long lifetime ago. She brightened his days with her laughs, her smiles, her everything. It had kept him… _human_ if he could crudely describe it. He remembered how she would always jump into his arms and snuggle her face against his chest. How she would sigh in content and how she would hug him like he was the last thing alive in the world apart from her.

She was someone he would always cherish to the end of his days.

Then the demons came along. They burnt down the buildings, tore apart and mutilated the people who fought back while they sacrificed those who had no resistance. They had come out of nowhere, appearing in the city's central square filled with so many people. She was lucky to be with her playmates and their parents on the more quiet neighborhoods, away from the coming horrendous wave of acts. He, on the other hand, was off duty at that time after being discharged from the hospital after taking one too many bullets for his fellow comrades. That hospital just happened to be near the city square where the demons had come from.

He remembered his soldier instincts and training kick in. It kept him alive compared to those who fought back with whatever they could get their hands on. He remembered punching and kicking his way through the hospital floors all the way to the roof to assess the carnage from high above the ground. He remembered doing a little parkour, jumping from building to building into the streets just a few feet away from a destroyed police car and its former drivers being eaten by a Pinky. He gouged the thing's eyes a few seconds later and took what he could from the wrecked car.

They were just a handgun and a shotgun. A 9x19mm caliber Model-9A1 handgun and a 12-Gauge Model-870 shotgun; both smaller than his current 11.5x32mm caliber Model-45 combat handgun and his 8-Gauge Delta Systems-117 combat shotgun. They had sufficed in the given moment, though, as they allowed him to fight better than just his bare fists and feet. He could've helped the civilians then, but he would've been delayed from reaching her.

He remembered getting bit, cut, slashed, and thrown by various demons. But he persevered and overcame each and every single one of them. Each time he'd encounter a new monster, he'd get hit a few times first before learning how to counter and kill it.

He remembered going through the city square, then to the sewers to encounter mutated animals ranging from rats to gators, then to the business district where he had some tough time with the Draugr positioned there like snipers. He was lucky to get his hands on his 9.35x51mm caliber M30 Designated Marksman Rifle right there, too, or he would've had struggled against those black-armored fucks.

He smiled underneath his helmet when the-

"Sir Taggert? Sir Taggert?" Celestine's voice broke him out of his thoughts. When his vision readjusted, he saw that Celestine was looking at him with worry apparent across her features as was Olga. Celestine was frowning at him for some reason.

"Are you well? You have grown silent over the past few minutes," she asked with concern in her tone.

"It was getting creepy when you got even more silent, big guy," Olga piped in as well, a frown also evident on her beautiful face.

Really, he was silent for a few minutes? The Marine chalked it up to simply reliving the memories a bit.

"I apologize, Ma'am. I was busy remembering," he stated as he started to lower himself. Knowing what he was about to do, Olga used her magic to move a chair to the Marine so he could have a place to sit.

"Is it because Olga had asked you on who is special in your life?" The Goddess Reincarnated asked and he answered with a nod.

"I was remembering better days with them before things went to shit." His voice was solemn; the two elves could clearly see it. The Marine quickly killed that pathway of the conversation by switching the subject.

"If that's all, Ma'am, then I'll take my leave. I have things to attend to. Things I'd rather avoid in all honesty," he spoke in an annoyed tone.

"Is it that party that human noble is hosting in your and your allies' knighting?" Olga asked in a bored tone.

"Hit the nail on the head with that one," his response confused her.

"Nail? What nail?" She blinked at this as the Marine internally sighed in annoyance. "It's an expression from my homeland. But never mind that for now. Yes, I will be going there tonight," Flynn Taggert said in a bored tone. Celestine was beaming until he added in.

"No, I will not be going in a damn suit and dancing with people," he added with the tone that indicates that he will not move from that option.

"I… I see. If that is how you wish to be, Sir Taggert, then I shan't do anything against it." The Goddess Reincarnated smiled softly at him before giving a cute yawn.

"I see that you need rest, Ma'am. If there's nothing more for now, I shall leave," with that, the Marine had stood up, turned on his heel and left the room. As the doors closed completely, silence once again became dominant as the two elves found it hard to start up a new conversation. When one of them did find a way to start, it was awkward to say the least.

"Well…" Olga drawled put as she got off of the bed and did a little stretch, "that was a failed attempt."

"What do you mean, Olga? He was able to hold a conversation with us. Surely that could be considered a success," Celestine questioned.

"Yes, dear Celestine, but it seems our big friend isn't so keen on relaxing one bit," Olga shot back.

"Then perhaps you should not have bother Sir Taggert with that question of yours," Celestine chided.

"Come now Celestine dear, I was curious. Any individual would be whenever they try to find out new things about their new friend," the Dark Elf Queen reasoned out. "Don't tell me you were not the slightest bit curious, hmm, Celestine?"

"I was, Olga, but I felt wrong to pry at something sensitive at Sir Taggert's life."

"I bet you want to get it on with him, hmm?" Her question got Celestine's cheeks red.

"How indecent of you to think such things, Olga!"

"Aha! I see that your cheeks are reddening, Celestine dear," the Dark Elf Queen began to tease the Goddess Reincarnated.

Using her magic, Celestine levitated a pillow and threw it at Olga, who simply caught it with both hands as she dryly looked at her.

"Really? A pillow fight, Celestine?" The only response she received was a second pillow being flung at her. Ducking underneath the fluffy projectile, she gave a smirk and readied the pillow she has in her grasp.

Soon the private quarters of Celestine were filled with the impacts of pillows and the soft laughter of two old friends.

[-]

The Marine walked down the halls, face impassive and hidden behind his helmet. He made his to the entrance of the castle, passing by the guards and the servants of the castle as he did. The conversation he had with the two Elven monarchs left a certain taste in his mouth. One he does not wish to encounter any time sooner or later.

Flynn soon reached the palace gates and, after talking to guards, was on his way to the Pantielle Estate.

As he made his way to the mansion, Flynn wondered what Corzo or Hae-Lin were up to.

* * *

-With Corzo, Ken's market district-

It was nearing nighttime, Corzo noted as he walked the bustling and wide streets of Ken's market district. He was busy currently buying some food for his allies to eat. And while the energy flowing through their bodies made sure they would never tire nor hunger nor sleep, it never hurts to do those things.

He had just bought some bread from one of the few vendors that had the stones to actually cater him. Heading down the streets, the Drifter stood out thanks to his height and appearance. A few were kind enough to stay clear from his path while others, such as children, had obstructed his path. The children reached out and touched his pants and shoes as if he were a deity. Luckily, he only needed to usher them out of the way with his offhand.

Over the course of a few minutes, the gunslinger was nearing an inn called as _Ye Olden Days_ to its' patrons. Why would he be going into an inn, you ask? It's simple, really. Hae-Lin was busy talking with Prim Fiorire and her personal guards in that very inn right now.

Entering the inn, he was met with the sight of happy men and women enjoying whatever peace they have in the capital.

Fools, the whole lot of them. Thinking they were safe from harm. One day, when the Kuro Inu mounts a massive assault on the capital, they will see the truth.

For now, he'll have to play along and be one of their saviors. He gazes across the main hall of the inn and found Hae-Lin speaking with Prim and her entourage of knights. No doubt regaling them with her tales of the past.

"… and so, I crouched as low as I could, hiding in plain sight as the monsters strained their senses to find me," Hae-Lin said with an air of mystery, captivating her little audience.

"The Revenants, powerful as they were at distances where your arrows would falter, were no match as I snuck up behind them and readied my sword," to emphasize, she drew out the Kharon from its' sheath, the demon-made blade shining a captivating silver glow.

"What did you do, Miss Hae-Lin?" A young knight, brown in hair and eyes and handsome to boot, asked the Angel of Death. She gave a toothy grin as she replied.

"Simple. I took a swing and-"

"Alerted the other Revenants what with you screaming _'__코리아__화이팅__!' (koria hwaiting!)_ (_Go Korea!_) as you charged at one of them," Corzo interrupted, making many jump at his sudden appearance.

Hae-Lin jumped and, once she realized who interrupted, pouted at his words.

"Moooouuuuuuu~, you're no fun, Corzo," the only response the South Korean woman got was of the Drifter patting her head a few times before ruffling it around. As he did so, he looks at Prim and her knights.

"So you're attending this party too, or are us three newbie knights gon' suffer alone?" Prim shook her head.

"Don't be silly, Sir White. My cousin and I will attend to keep Maia company," while she hadn't blatantly said it, it was clear that everyone here was disgusted by one individual named Michelle.

"I see. Well then, Hae-Lin and I shall be off then, Miss," before he could leave Prim called out to him.

"Sir White, I must ask but… do… do you have any tales to tell us before we go?" Looking at her, the Drifter raised an eyebrow and scratched his right cheek.

"Hmm, I do, Miss Prim, but m'stories aren't fo the youngins here." Blinking, she simply smiled in response.

"W-we-well we are curious, especially since you and Miss Hae-Lin are foreigners from a faraway nation. Surely you have experiences to pass on to future generations, r-ri-right?" Prim asked innocently.

"Yeah, come on, Corzo!" Hae-Lin beamed at him as she somehow teleported behind Prim and away from his hand. To seal the deal, Hae-Lin began to use her best puppy eye technique on him. Rolling his eyes, Corzo decides to play along. Besides, there still a good amount of time before they have to go to House Pantielle. They wouldn't mind if they were a bit late.

Closing his eyes and going down memory lane, he searches through his memories to find the best one to tell for now.

"Hmm, I think I got the tale for y'all. This happened before I met Hae-Lin," his words caught everyone's interest. As soon as everyone was properly seated, he began.

"Now, it all started when I went to investigate some temples in the outskirts of our country…"

* * *

_-The Ancient Navajo Wolf Warp/80 years ago-_

_Corzo White approached the temple's entrance. Its tan bricks and its dark wooden door gave off this otherworldly feel to it, as if something… _inhuman_… built them. Still, the gunslinger paid it no mind as he opened the door, which curiously slid upwards and hissed as it did._

"Odd,"_ thought the gunslinger, _"this place is sumtin else, alright."_ Without another thought, Corzo approached the center of the small entrance._

_It was an oval table of sorts, with a massive smoking pipe smack dab in the middle of it. Smoke was still emanating from the main opening, indicating it was recently used just prior to Corzo happening upon it._

_Narrowing his glowing eyes, the gunslinger placed a hand on the pipe, tracing his fingers over the intricate markings. When his fingers touched the main opening, a flash of purple suddenly appeared and took him by surprise, making him shield his eyes from any potential harm._

_All the while, he heard the howling of canines. Wolves to be more specific._

_When the light died down, the gunslinger took in his new surroundings._

_It was an open area, sand at the bottom of his boots with stone structures around him. More specifically, there was a square stone fighting ring of sorts a few feet in front of him with the sides covered by metal fencing and there was another temple entrance just to the left of said fighting ring. It was there that Corzo took note of who came before him as well._

_Most of them were young men, wearing 1960-issued Soldaten uniforms and body armor, carrying either Maschinenpistole 61s or Sturmgewehr 60s as their main guns with Pistole 1960s in their holsters._

_These men were German troops, specifically fanatics of Adolf Hitler's Nazi Regime. One of the men noticed him and begun to shout._

"_EINDRINGLING! (INTRUDER!)" was all the man could get out before a single 12.7x42mm/.500 Magnum round blew off his head and alerting the rest of the men in that area._

"_Töte ihn! (Kill him!)" The senior officer in the area yelled out as he readied his two guns. This man was dressed differently, with pitch black pieces of bullet-resistant armor covering every vulnerable area of him and with a helmet with a piece of see-through glass revealing his face although his left eye was covered by a metal eyepiece that had a red lens covering its opening. There was the Nazi swastika emblazoned on his chest, with the rank of _SS-Oberstgruppenführer_/_Lieutenant General_ just to the left of it._

_The two guns in his hands were experimental and lightweight GP Venom Gun Mk. 2's. Each Venom Gun has six rotating barrels and is loaded with a massive belt holding 500 rounds of 12.7x99mm/.50 BMG each. Each Venom Gun was designed to be used in close quarters where their high rate of fire and .50-cal rounds quickly outperforms any firearm at a close distance. Not only that, but they were also quite accurate and can be mounted in place of their Maschinengewehr-60's if they lack any access to said laser weapon._

_On each shoulder were rocket launchers customized with a belt on each one connected to a backpack that loads a new rocket a second or so after the old one has cleared the main tube._

_The two machineguns started to spool up and, after only 1.5 seconds of doing so, began firing, sending a hailstorm of .50-caliber bullets at Corzo, before two rockets followed suit, narrowly missing. The rest of the Nazis followed suit, their guns making a cacophony of sounds as they did._

_Corzo did the smart thing and began to quickly dash towards the nearest sign of cover while taking down five or so soldiers with his revolver. As the different bullets chipped away at his cover, he readied his whip and swung, the barbed end striking one soldier down and taking his SMG from his cold, dead hands._

_While not as devastating as his M12 Grasas, the MP61's issued by the Nazis were more than sufficient for now in dealing with the cannon fodder. Loaded with 45-round triple-column magazines of 9x28mm Stürmer, the MP61 was an massive improvement over their MP40's or MP50's (more advanced variations of the former, sporting a sturdier frame and better rifling on the barrel with more ergonomic grips and stock) and could even use slower but more powerful superheated rounds._

_Quickly popping out of his cover, he settles his sights on one soldier, fires a burst, and then does the same thing to another soldier before ducking under his cover once more. This process went on until little of the soldiers in the current area were dead. But there was still that SS-Oberstgruppenführer with those two Venom Guns._

_He'll deal with him later._

_For now, the gunslinger notices an opening in a rock formation just north-east of his current position. In that opening, he saw a glass bottle with white cloth wraps and a dark brown cork. Inside it was an odd purple liquid._

_That was a Spirit Bottle, a mystical concoction that fills whoever drinks it with the power of a thousand spiritual warriors, giving them a phenomenal boost in strength and speed for a short period of time._

_Knowing his body's speed can dodge those bullets and quickly move into that very opening with the Spirit Bottle, Corzo White dashed immediately from his cover. Using his inhuman reflexes, he was able to gracefully dodge each of the bullets the Nazi Major could shoot at him._

_Once he was in the rock formation, he grabs the bottle, already feeling the spiritual energy flowing. With one hand, the gunslinger pops open the bottle, takes a drink from it, doing all of that in less than three seconds._

_Seeing his arms being surrounded by a glowing white outline, he gives a nod before rushing out of cover._

_Corzo hears the sound of stone displacing to his right, and the gunslinger sees that the rock wall from before sinking into the ground. Hearing multiple growls and barks, he was well aware of what the Nazis had hid behind the wall._

_Their German Shepherds, each of them outfitted with pieces of armor on their faces, necks, bodies, and legs to protect them from small arms fire such as the 9x28mm Stürmer rounds used by the MP61 in his hands._

_Keeping the German-made SMG away, he pulls out his Thunderhawk once more. Rapidly fanning out eight shots from the revolver's cylinder, he kills eight of the dogs before reloading quickly. Rolling away from one dog that had lunged at him, he snaps the poor thing's neck with his bullwhip and doing the same to four other dogs. It wasn't until more 12.7x99mm rounds flew past him, with some actually hitting him and drawing some blood, that Corzo was reminded of the Nazi Lieutenant General firing from the temple's entrance._

_Hearing even more stone sinking after hiding behind him, he turns his head and sees an ornate door sliding in two directions to reveal even more Nazi soldiers that immediately began to shoot at him._

_Quickly dispatching the remaining dogs and reloading his MP61, Corzo opens fire from a position of lying down on his backside, the 9x28mm Stürmer bullets nailing them in the head and killing them quickly._

_Reloading once more, Corzo heads into the new area revealed by the opening of the sliding stone doors. It was a small little group of buildings positioned to where, if you looked at it from an aerial view, the streets formed an L-shape. Heading down and seeing some stairs leading up to the second floor, he took it, gunning down a Nazi soldier guarding it from the top._

_Quickly turning to his left, he wasted no time and fired a burst at each soldier before most of them could react. Those who were able to recover from their surprise were able to retaliate, firing their guns at him._

_These soldiers held Shockhammer X's, triple-barreled rotary automatic shotguns outfitted with 24-shell side-mounted box magazines of 12-Gauge 3-Inch Magnum. These shotguns were capable of fully-automatic fire, their rotating barrels quickly dispersing any heat generated. They also have a secondary fire mode that involves a quick three-round burst, granting the user a massive blast of pellets at the obvious cost of recoil._

_Grabbing one of those shotguns with his bullwhip (and killing the former owner in the process), Corzo fires the automatic Gatling-shotgun one-handedly in conjunction to him using his bullwhip as he raced passed the soldiers. They were dead in less than three seconds._

_Heading to the other end, he was beset by two soldiers who immediately shot the supernatural gunslinger. A quick blast of buckshot and a snap of his whip later and Corzo was met with two new dead bodies._

_Seeing a new room to his right, Corzo enters it. Directly in front of him was a purple cross similar to what you see on medical kits. Judging by the small gaps the cross had with the rest of the wall it was on it was obvious to the gunslinger that it was a button._

_In an instant, the floor beneath him suddenly sunk down to the lower level, revealing even more Nazis. Seriously, how the hell did they sneak their soldiers here? Wasting no time, he fires the Shockhammer X in its aforementioned rotary-blast mode, quickly dealing damage to some of the heavily armored troops while using his signature Thunderhawk to take out the small fry._

_Heading outside, Corzo noticed that the buildings, which were closed to begin with, had opened up, revealing more Nazi troops and their armored hounds. Switching out his revolver for the MP61, the gunslinger uses both Nazi-made guns effectively, killing them and suffering very little damage in return thanks to his reflexes and skills._

_By now, he noticed that the glowing white outline had disappeared, signaling that the spirits of that bottle had used all their energy and have disappeared for the physical plane entirely. Frankly, he didn't care about the loss in power but he did do a silent prayer thanking the spirits in aiding him._

_Soon, he was back in the main area with the stone arena and the entrance to the main temple. The Major was still hiding behind the temple entrance, obviously trying to tire Corzo out with cannon fodder before finishing him off himself._

_Just as he walked towards the entrance to personally deal with the Major himself, Corzo heard more shouting coming from his rear left. Facing that direction, he is surprised at another opening revealing itself and its inhabitants. With more soldiers to deal with, Corzo springs into action and starts blasting with his Shockhammer X._

_Stealing a pair of V45 hand grenades, he throws them in rapid succession after pulling their pins. The grenades, notorious for exploding on impact, did their job and cleared out most of the soldiers in the dark cavern._

_Hearing the sound of someone warping behind him, he turns his head to see an _Übersoldat_/_Super Soldier_ standing proud atop the stony arena. Corzo was tempted to shoot until he realized that the Übersoldaten was equipped with some more powerful gear such as a Laserkraftwerk extensively modified to fire blasts far more powerful than the basic ones of other Laserkrafwerks issued to other troops._

_Great, now he has to deal with this guy, too._

_Upon setting eyes on the gunslinger, the Übersoldat quickly opened fire, the blue streaks narrowly missing as the gunslinger went out of his way to twist and turn to avoid them. Luckily, the new opening had something he needed to enter the temple entrance._

"Now where is… Aha! There you are, darlin'…"_ Corzo spotted it as soon as he took a left after going deep inside the newly-minted cave._

_Sitting in a pedestal of sorts was a skull, colored a deep blue with glowing runes running across its surface. Quickly grabbing it, Corzo begins to make his way out…_

_Only for more soldiers to warp in, blocking a clean exit out of the cave, and these soldiers looked different to the cannon fodder earlier._

_Their skins were pale but not like Corzo's own pale skin with purple tint but a pure gray pale skin color. They each wore matching green suits with openings at the abdomen area. They were as tall as he was, if not taller due to their buzz cut hair styles._

_These happen to have versions of the Venom Gun meant for emplaced positions or for mounted vehicles._

_These new mutant soldiers, or the _Untote Wachen_ as referred as such by official Nazi documents, immediately opened fire with their abdomen machine-guns._

_Corzo simply slid under the entire barrage before unloading his Shockhammer X on them, killing most of them and leaving a few as the gun went dry and Corzo had finished sliding past them. As he had fired, he noticed that the gun was now sporting a glowing white outline before it was covered completely in the same white light. When it subsided, Corzo was surprised that the German rotary shotgun had turned into a familiar weapon._

_It was cobalt blue in its metal parts and had wooden furniture for its grips and stock. It no longer had three barrels for 12-Gauge shells, but one thick barrel meant for the larger 10-Gauge shells instead. The side-mounted magazine was gone and in its place was a more traditional ejection port, with a loading gate on the underside of the newly-minted gun. Attached to the trigger was a loop large enough for four fingers to fit in together._

_Gone was the Shockhammer X, and in its place (thanks to the spiritual powers left over from the Spirit Bottle) was the Cintia Model-1901 lever-action shotgun._

_Taking aim, he fires at the remaining Untote Wachen, taking them down quickly even for a lever-action. He would've smirked if it weren't for a blue streak slamming into him and sending him flying back and landing harshly on the ground. Getting up, he was reminded of the Übersoldat still in the stone arena platform._

_Seeing another opening leading to another cave nearby, he dashes inside, avoiding most of the blasts of the Laserkraftwerks in the process. When he reaches the end, he notices a pillar of sorts decorated by depictions of blue skulls going up and down it._

_Remembering the blue skull he nabbed back at the other cave, he fishes it out from his satchel and pressed it against the pillar. Just as he had predicted, the pillar shot upwards, revealing a warp pad hidden behind it._

_Without a second thought, the gunslinger steps onto the pad and disappearing in a flash. Hearing the howls of wolves, the gunslinger readies himself, Cintia-1901 shotgun gripped in both hands while his sole bullwhip snaked around the weapon as if securing it even more to his hands._

_A flash of purple later and Corzo was on the stone arena, although something was off. Wasn't there supposed to be an Übersoldat in this very stone arena? Looking down, he noticed that there was some red liquid and some pieces of armor littering the place._

_Putting the two and two together, Corzo realized he had killed the Übersoldat in one rather gruesome technique. A technique so powerful it can fell even the most hardened of foe._

_He had _ **Telefragged** _ the Übersoldat. That was most unexpected. Still, he shook off the initial surprise and reached out for the metal fencing surrounding the stony arena…_

_Only for him to reappear outside of said arena thanks to the same purple flash. Blinking, Corzo began to ponder on what just happened only for more .50-cal rounds flying past him, making him duck out of instinct._

"_Kommen Sie her, Schwein! (Come here, pig!)" The Major yelled as he fired more bullets and rockets. Corzo dodged them as he began to sprint towards the heavily armored Nazi, Cintia M1901 shotgun at the ready._

_Once he was a few feet away, he began to fire his gun, each blast sending twelve pellets roughly the size of 9mm/.36-caliber bullets that pushed against the black armor of the Nazi Major. In response, Corzo was blasted by multiple .50-cal rounds slamming into his torso, sending him skidding backwards. Luckily, he retaliated quickly and began to shoot more, this time at the Major's head._

_After three blasts, the Nazi Major's helmeted head was blown clean off, showering the area with some blood and some brain tissue._

_With all enemies dead, the gunslinger presses onward, heading for the door leading to the rest of the temple. As the wooden door opened to reveal a dark-colored room with a teleportation pad just ahead, Corzo steps on it, disappearing in a flash._

* * *

-Ye Olden Days Bar/Present Time-

"… and after that, I found myself in the temple," looking out the window to see the sun had finally set. With that, the gunslinger stands up and begins to head for the main doors of the bar-slash-inn.

It was only now that he realized that, in his storytelling, he had attracted a bigger crowd than what he originally started with.

"Hae-Lin, time to git goin'," he ordered the short-statured South Korean swordswoman. The young girl did as she was told, doing a little stretch after sheathing away her Kharon.

"Eh, I was getting bored anyways," she said as she heads over to the main entrance with a bit of a skip in her step.

"Wait!" A voice called out, making the two turn their heads to look at whoever called out to them. It was the young brown-haired knight from earlier.

"You must tell us what happened next, good sir. My friends and I are curious," as if to emphasize his point, Prim's entourage of knights nodded their heads. Corzo simply smiled underneath the shadows concealing/obscuring his face.

"Maybe next time, youngins. 'til then…" he trailed off as he walked out of the bar/inn. Now wasn't the time to reminisce on the good old days.

Right now, he and Hae-Lin had a party to attend.

* * *

-Pantielle Estate/Minutes later-

"SIR FLYNN TAGGERT OF THE EUAYSEE CONTINENT!"

Flynn had decided that he hated gatherings such as this and the noble folk altogether. The instant his name was announced, a lot of the nobles present stopped what they were doing to see Celestine's new knight stroll into the main hall. Many of them would whisper as he passed them, spreading rumors here and there. He really hated such exaggerations but he had to deal with their shit.

Normally this is where he would turn in his weapons, but since the guards had no understanding of subspace technology, he decided to make them believe he came unarmed.

He stood out like a sore thumb, with his UAC Combat Marine armor being a massive contrast to the suits and dresses the noblemen and women were wearing right now.

The hall was large, easily fitting over a thousand people at least, with soft music playing over the chattering of the people. He saw the Dragundaala family chatting with some of the noble houses, although Catue was more or less bored with the whole situation.

He saw Alicia Arcturus and Prim Fiorire. The latter of the two attempted to go and greet him personally only for her older cousin to grab her by the hand and drag her away from him. Prim sent out an apologetic smile as she soon disappeared from his sight.

He even passed by Claudia and Klaus, the Dawn Templar simply nodding at him with a blank face while her husband smiled at the large Marine. He would've made some small talk with them, only if it weren't for Klaus asking Claudia if she liked to dance which she full heartedly accepted.

He grabbed a drink from a passing servant and, after lifting his helmet slightly so his mouth is completely exposed, downed it in one gulp. Too sweet for his liking. Putting the glass away on an unoccupied table, he began to wade through the crowd of nobles, his destination being one of the nearby balconies. He needed some fresh air.

As he got out into one of the balconies, two other individuals had entered the Pantielle Estate.

"SIR CORZO WHITE AND MISS JUNG HAE-LIN OF THE EUAYSEE CONTINENT!"

Corzo and Hae-Lin entered the massive hall and saw the large groups of nobles everywhere they looked.

"OOOOH! I'm gonna head to the buffet! Cya, Corzo!" With that, Jung Hae-Lin was immediately gone, leaving Corzo White alone for the time being. Sighing in annoyance, he muttered, "That damn girl…" before walking around, making sure to avoid bumping into anyone lest he cause a scene.

As he walked by, he felt eyes on his back. Stopping, he turns around to see Catue Dragundaala standing a few feet away from him. The foreigner princess knight flinched in surprise at how quick the gunslinger swiveled to meet her face to face.

"Miss Dragundaala," he said as he relaxed slightly in his posture.

"Sir White! I did not expect you to be here!"

"I was invited along with Flynn and Hae-Lin," the gunslinger stated. The princess of Dragundaala simply shook her head.

"N-no… what I meant to say was that I thought you would've rejected the request Lord Pantielle had given."

"If it were that, I would've done so. Unfortunately, Hae-Lin only came here for the food," as if on cue, a lot of people saw the South Korean swordswoman scarfing down food after food from the buffet table.

"I-I see…" she stuttered, some traces of sweat trailing down her face from seeing the unladylike display.

"A-anyways, it is much appreciated that you have arrived regardless, Sir White," Catue bowed briefly in respect to the gunslinger.

"Aye, lass. Flynn told me you were plannin' on helpin' li'l Miss Maia from that li'l bastard Michelle." Catue nodded in confirmation as she and Corzo begin walking together through the hall, continuing their conversation.

"I never really understood how such a corpulent individual such as he could be of noble blood."

"I've learned that life likes ta screw with all, Princess Dragundaala," he responded, his voice ever drawling.

"Please, call me Catue. It bothers me that people refer to me as such."

"Naw… I think I'll call you kiddo for now." By the corner of his eye, the gunslinger saw Hae-Lin had finished up her food and had let out a loud belch, making many nobles jump at the sound.

Catue herself was surprised that something so unladylike could even be possible. "S-still, I appreciate that you and your friends have ended the war with Olga Discordia. That was highly courageous of you."

"T'weren't nothin', kiddo. Just some folk doin' their jobs, that's all."

"Surely you must be properly rewarded. There must be something any of us can offer to you and your friends," to her surprise, Corzo shook his head.

"There ain't nothin' you or anyone else can offer that could be a proper reward, kiddo. Like I said, I was just doin' my job."

"A-ah… I see…" losing her voice, the Princess Knight allowed awkward silence to come in between the two.

"_Compared to Sir Taggert, Sir White is much more approachable."_ She thought as the pair walked around the massive hall in silence in contrast to most of the chattering noblemen and noblewomen present.

"You comfy, kiddo?" His sudden speaking caught her off-guard for a split second before she responded.

"I-I beg your pardon?"

"I was askin' if you're feeling at ease, what with somefolk like me bein' 'round folk like yourself." The gunslinger clarified in his drawling voice. His words made the Princess Knight scratch the back of her neck lightly as she gave a bit of a chuckle.

"Eh-heh, my mother has always taught me to be kind to others, Sir White. She always believes that kindness is the key to a life of peace," her answer made the gunslinger silent for a few seconds more.

"A life of peace, eh? **Hmph…** Then you fellers are lucky compare t' meself and me pals, kiddo." Catue's eyebrow rose when she heard his words.

"Whatever do you mean, Sir White?" Her answer came in the form of the gunslinger ruffling her hair with one hand, making the other nobles watch in annoyance at the 'improper actions' and the few soldiers guarding the hall glare at the man who dare lay a finger on their princess.

"Ahm sayin' you and yer friends are lucky to live normal- well, relatively normal lives compared to my friends and I," ceasing his ruffling, he takes a look at the shining moon from a nearby orante glass window.

"Folks like me have always lived lives of peril and whatnot. Any times of peace us folk get are far in between, remindin' us ev'ry now an' then that we could die the moment we let our guard down," tapping the Dead Man's Holster, he emphasized to the Princess Knight and those who were listening. "That's why I always have somethin' 'part from my fists in case a fight breaks out." He said, feeling the familiar smoothness of his Thunderhawk revolver's grips before continuing.

"B'fore comin' 'ere, I usedta live on my own, travelling under the scorchin' sun and restin' under the cold moon. The desert I roamed was unlike any other, kiddo. Y'got bandits, sure, but… they don' compare to what demons hide under the shadows and of snakes hidin' in manflesh," he smiled underneath the shadows shrouding his face.

"Then I met Flynn and Hae-Lin… Flynn managed to save my skin from some crazed cultists while Hae-Lin just brought out my more… positive side, y'could say. Usedta be this emotional dingus and tryin' to be all alone, thinking dog-gone nobody would ever bother 'bout me."

Corzo sighed as he finished his little speech as he looks at the Princes Knight. She looked saddened compared to her previous demeanor just a while ago. It was like the prey looking at its predator before being killed; it was the perfect analogy right now.

Before he could say anything, he heard footsteps approaching his location. Turning his head to face whoever was approaching him, he saw Hae-Lin, who had another massive batch of food in her arms.

"H-hey! Little heelp?" Rolling his glowing eyes, Corzo grab about half the food the swordswoman had nabbed and had kept a fully straight posture which was surprising if one takes into consideration that the stack of food Hae-Lin had was around ten feet high before Corzo took half of it away.

Placing the stack on one of the empty tables (after separating them, of course), Corzo shook his head at Hae-Lin's choice before turning back to Catue.

"I would like to apologize for my friend here, kiddo."

"Oh, it is fine, Sir White. Although I am a bit surprised as to how someone as her could lift that many plates of food?" The princess of the Dragundaala royal family wondered. Corzo, in response, simply patted her on the shoulder and spoke his answer.

"It's best if you di'n't know, kiddo. If you ask, I coul'n't really find a proper explanation." And how could he without her calling him out for something that sounds like utter ridiculousness?

Explaining to the princess on how Hae-Lin's Kharon works isn't exactly going to be met with wonder but with fear, especially since the blade, if applied with enough force, can slice straight through the legs of a giant metal monsters designed to spread nuclear armageddon.

He blinked at such an odd thought as that but it felt rather appropriate so he lets it slide for now. Looking around the room, he sees a familiar light gray helmet standing above the nobles. Without turning his head towards her, he spoke to Catue.

"As much as I'd like to carry on this conversation, Princess, I must go for now." She said nothing but gave a nod as the gunslinger left, with the swordswoman lingering lumbering him. With no one to keep her company, Catue Dragundaala heads back to her family.

When she approached them, she saw her mother had a smirk running across her lips. After speaking with her father, her mother had pulled her away, eliciting a yelp of surprise from her. Nina Dragundaala nee Elesa had dragged her daughter all the way to a more secluded part of the hall, away from prying eyes and listeners.

"M-mom?! What was that for?!" Nina simply smiled as she looked at her own flesh and blood, the smirk still staying on her face.

"Oh nothing, dear. It's just that… it makes me so proud as a mother that you are interacting with a boy your age," Nina beamed as she immediately glomped her daughter, Catue's face buried in her mother's breasts.

After a somewhat comical moment of trying to pry herself free from her mother's bosom, Catue had succeeded with her entire face becoming red like a radioactive tomato.

"What are you even talking about?!" She demanded as her mother simply continued beaming.

"Oh, you talking to that nice young man~" Nina teased as she spoke in a sing-song voice. What was heard from a wide radius around that secluded spot was a slap impacting against bare flesh and one princess yelling.

"MOM!"

[-]

Flynn Taggert had been walking in solitude now until Corzo White and Jung Hae-Lin showed up. Currently, the three were talking in low volumes about what to do to the Kuro Inu should the Goddess Reincarnated grew some balls and went after the traitorous mercenary company.

Their attention was then grabbed by the sound of someone lightly tapping their glass with their silverware. They, along with the other nobles, turned to see the host of this party, Lord Michael Pantielle, standing on an elevated platform. No doubt he was to thank all those who had come to the event.

Lord Michael Pantielle was somewhat fit compared to his youngest son, which was a good thing as it meant that his gut won't stick out from his clothes in comparison. He too had blonde hair although it was starting to dull and gray to show his age. Much like most nobles they have met in Eostia, Lord Pantielle wore a rather extravagant suit that was properly measured for the man's body.

Still, the three tuned out the man's speech and continued to chatter amongst themselves. When they heard the clapping of the noblemen and women, they knew the speech was over and that they could continue with what they were doing before.

"Hey," Hae-Lin suddenly called out, "isn't that Maia?" She pointed to where her eyes were looking. The two larger demon killers followed and saw the same thing.

Doing her best not to lose her cool and attack one Michelle Pantielle was Maia, with some of House Pantielle's guards accompanying them.

"So who's gonna help her out?" Hae-Lin asked as she popped a cream puff into her mouth. Maia's had gazed into the three's direction and had locked eyes with one of them.

Without a word, Corzo had taken a step towards Maia's location.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't one of Celestine's new knights. What's some vagabond such as yourself tarnishing a place such as this with your filthy presence?" The gunslinger heeded the corpulent boy not as he faced the Mercenary Queen.

"Need some help, Princess?" She pouted in good manner in response as she answered.

"Heh, I was thinking of leaving this place. And you?" The gunslinger shrugged and shook his hand in a way to say 'so-so'.

"I knew you'd think that way. So, wanna hit a bar? I found this really good one that just opened up." Before Corzo could make his reply, a grating voice answered Maia's question.

"M-Maia, perhaps I can be of service to that then?" Michelle asked as he made an attempt to reach out for her hand only for said hand to slap it away.

"Cut that out, you little shit!" She snapped at him. Before he could even try to reply, Maia continued.

"I'm sick of you and your fucking invitations! Let go of me!" She slapped away one hand that pathetically tried to hold on to her upper arm.

"Look at you. You're out of shape, slimy to touch, and can't even hold someone right!" Right now, a crowd was gathering, making the gunslinger feel awkward at so many people watching this pathetic display.

"And another thing! I-"

Before Maia could continue, Corzo had decided that the young man had suffered enough for one night and had placed his hand on the Mercenary Queen's shoulder to placate her.

"Let's leave, Maia. I'm feelin' uncomfortable from the scene you're makin'." Looking at Michelle, the gunslinger spoke to the boy.

"There're times when you ride the bull to meet the nurse, boy. But there ain't no damn nurse here to care for you now," with that, the gunslinger turned and began to leave, with Maia following closely.

Just as they were a few meters away, Michelle's annoying voice had reached their ears.

"This isn't over, knight! How dare you lay a finger on another man's woman?!"

"She wasn't yours to begin with, boy," Corzo shot back in a calm and even tone.

"When my father hears of this, he'll-"

"Do nothing but berate his own son for being a lazy ass," Corzo said truthfully as he simply pointed to someone behind Michelle and leaving with Maia. He didn't even have to listen in to know that Lord Michael Pantielle had overheard their little chat and had begun to confront his own son about it.

As the two reached Hae-Lin and Flynn, Corzo could see that Maia was uncomfortable at looking at the large green-armored man. He couldn't blame her. After all, Flynn did show just about every single important individual in that room many days ago that Vult had blatantly betrayed all of Eostia and her allies with the declaration of his Sex Empire.

"Ready to blow this joint?" Hae-Lin asked with a toothy grin that mirrored the ones Maia would always flash to her friends.

"Ready as I'll ever be. You, Flynn?" Corzo and the others only saw the Marine nod and grunt in reply.

As a group, the four had left the premises of the Pantielle household to find an environment more suitable to their liking.

* * *

-One Hour Later/Ye Olden Days Tavern-

Maia had downed another cup of rum. That was her tenth one tonight. Looking to her right, she flinched at how there were twice the amount of cups being discarded by her opponent.

Hae-Lin had downed her twentieth cup of rum before shooting Maia a smug smirk. The two had engaged in a drinking contest to see who has the better tolerance when it comes to drinks such as this.

Watching the two women were Corzo, who was drinking from one bottle that he had been keeping inside of his satchel for quite some time, Flynn, who also did the same but with a bottle from the tavern's own stock through a moving slit of his helmet, and Maia's own warrior band, all of which couldn't help but awkwardly watch the two go at it.

"This… isn't what I'd call a fun activity," Eliza, Maia's second in command, spoke to her leader, who simply waved off her concern.

"Aww doncha **HIC!**… woooorrryyy abouuut itt, Elisshhaa… Am **HIC!** jush havin' fuuuun," Maia slurred out as she lightly waved the glass in her hands around.

"Sheshhh **HIC!** no funn, MAAAaaiiAaa," Hae-Lin said, feeling just as drunk as Maia. "Lessshh **HIC! **jush goo fu-innd sumwan elsh…" Before she could continue, however, Flynn had snatched away her current cup and downed it before speaking.

"That's enough rum for one night, young lady." Hae-Lin gave an intoxicated grin as her two eyes blinked individually.

"Moouu, yer no fu-unn, Flynn-Flynn… Lemme drinks one more…" She tried to grab the pitcher only for the Marine to hand it back to the bartender and paying him what was all those drinks worth.

"You're drunk."

"AHmmm **HIC!** not!" Hae-Lin slurred as her cheeks were blushing, a clear indicator that she's the complete opposite of what she thinks. Flynn simply said nothing but did something. With one finger, he gently pushed Hae-Lin's forehead. The results were obvious. The swordswoman, under the influence of the rum, had tipped over and fell from her seat and towards the cold wooden floor.

"Hehehe **HIC!**… hehehe…" She giggled and snorted as she drunkenly rolled like a log.

"Lookie **HIC!** lookie… Ahm a piggy!" As if to prove her point, she started doing oinks one would hear from a piglet. Some of Maia's warrior band laughed goodheartedly while others were rather appalled by the scene.

"**Huff!** At least we can both agree to what's going to happen next, Sir Taggert," Eliza said with some annoyance lacing her tone. The Marine simply nodded before cracking his knuckles.

With their arms, the two grabbed their respective friends and began to carry them away from the bar, the others following in tow.

"WHWEEEE!" Hae-Lin childishly squealed as she was being carried like a sack of potatoes. Maia was still hiccupping as she was being supported by Eliza and Corzo as they all traveled back to the White Fortress.

Too bad they'll have to deal with the drunken ramblings of their compatriots.

[-]

By the time they had arrived back at the White Fortress, it was already well past midnight. Flynn had already taken Hae-Lin to her private quarters so that she could rest properly. Luckily for all in the party, Hae-Lin and Maia had stopped their drunken ramblings and had slept in the arms of those carrying them.

Right now, Corzo and Eliza were tucking in Maia into her bed as gently as they could. The red-haired Mercenary Queen was snoring rather cutely in Eliza's opinion.

"Thank you, Sir White, for helping me get Lady Maia home safely," the raven-haired pale-skinned beauty thanked the gunslinger as they walked down the empty halls.

"T'weren't nothin', Miss Eliza, was just doin' a good deed, is all," Corzo waved off Eliza's gratitude as the two strolled in halls, the pale moon shining brightly through the large windows.

"You… are a strange man, Sir White…" Eliza mused. "Normally, men would kill for a chance to be with at least one of us from Maia's own Buredorozu mercenary company," she gave a soft smile, although Corzo couldn't see it as she was behind him while the two were walking.

The gunslinger simply chuckled at her words as he glanced at her. Eliza saw that the shadows obscuring his face were gone, and that his pale face was clear for her to see. While she has had her fair share of flings here and there, she couldn't help but admit that Corzo was a fine individual in the looks department.

"I've been 'round, Miss Eliza. I'm usedta all the pretty li'l faces ev'ry now an' then," he said as he and her walked out into the more open courtyard area. He looks around, seeing how the flowers looked more alluring in the moonlight as well as how the shining moon was reflected off of the water in the fountain.

It reminded him of the days when he was just a lonesome drifter, a man with no name, a wandering vagabond. Days where he would simply travel under the hot sun and rest under the cold moon. Back then, demons and bandits of the lesser kind were the only things he would have to worry about.

Eliza was captivated by the beauty of the courtyard at night. The sight reminded her of days before being part of Maia's mercenary company. How she would sometimes leave her small house to go to the lake and go skinny dipping.

"Lovely night, tonight," his soft voice made her jump slightly at how sudden his voice had broken the silence. Composing herself before Corzo could notice, Eliza nodded.

"Yeah, the moon looks so beautiful at night."

"Yet so empty," Corzo's words made her pause and look at him with a raised eyebrow. "What do you mean, Sir White?" Eliza got a response in the form of a hollow chuckle, making the hairs on her neck's back stand straight up.

"My nation had collaborated together an' all to build machines and other contraptions that allow us to travel great distances. Even take those brave enough to the moon itself," eyes wide in surprise, she took a few steps back.

"T-that's impossible! No one has been able to do such a thing in Eostia's history!" She had read on some of the more accurate and unbiased books Klaus Curtis had in his personal library. No one, no matter how powerful, could fight the barriers of this world and fly to the moon.

No matter how strange the methods may be.

Corzo simply shrugged. "In yer hist'ry, maybe. But in mah nation's hist'ry, we've landed on the moon and expanded the means of livelihood." He could tell her about how they colonized Mars and the other planets, but had decided against it.

Eliza's eyes widened. The nation of which Corzo's speaks of must've been very powerful indeed to have defied the very barriers the gods have placed upon this world. But that begs the question. Just what exactly caused their downfall if they were so powerful?

"That's an easy answer," Corzo spoke softly, hearing her whispered words. "Human greed's what caused our nation's downfall," Stepping towards the edge and looking down to the city below, he continued.

"The folk on the up high thought that they were invincible and that nothing is truly impossible. Including controlling demons," Eliza could not stop the gasp escaping from her lips.

"Yeah, I know. Controlling demons was what they thought was a good idea to them," he lowered his head and closed his eyes. "Can't say I blame them, the world of demons had an energy source so powerful and abundant that it could've powered cities and entire countries for perhaps a thousand years." Eliza leaned closer to him to listen closely to Corzo's words.

"Y'see, we were able to extract sumtin from them demons. Called it Argent Energy, we did. That energy could've had help thousands, if not millions, of lives if they used it right. Problem was, the folk up on high got greedy an' started doin' all kinds of fucked up shit over the years. Just like that, Miss Eliza, our nation was gone, fallen because of greed and lust for power," he turns to face Eliza and notices her body shivering from the cold breeze.

Taking off his poncho, he drapes it over Eliza's shivering body, eliciting a small yelp from her.

"S-Sir White, I couldn't…" the gunslinger simply smiled and said.

"Take it for now, lass. Y'need it more than I do right now," with one hand on the woman's shoulder, he guides her back into the halls, more specifically the one where it has the room she and her fellow warriors will be staying for the night.

As the two walked, they did so in silence. No words were shared between them, only glances from Eliza and Corzo's unwavering gaze as he guided her back to her room.

"G'night, Miss Eliza. I'll see you in the mornin' to get my poncho back, y'hear?" She nodded as the gunslinger turned on his heel to leave for his own room. As the swordswoman stripped out of her clothes and dressed in her nightgown, she heard Maia shifting in her sleep.

Deciding to ignore it, Eliza began to drift off. Only for someone to whisper into her ear.

"Trying to snag some points in this contest, Liz?"

That night, the castle was shaken by the shriek of one woman followed by the sounds of pillows hitting people.

Corzo chuckled as he entered his room to retire for the night. Much like Flynn's own room, it was Spartan in décor, nothing really standing out apart from the Mask of Basilissa on the wooden table. Suddenly, the skull began to shine briefly before fire appeared at the tips of the horns and inside of the eyeholes.

"_**About damn time you got back. I was starting to grow bored,"**_ a calm, alluring yet dark voice, obviously female, came out of the skull.

"I was mingling with people," Corzo spoke tonelessly as he began to lie on the bed.

"_**We both know how that would've ended,"**_ Basilissa's voice reached his ears. Corzo simply rolled his eyes at the words of the demoness that resides in the skull.

"_**Deny it all you want, Corzo, but they won't accept you or your friends once the truth comes out,"**_ the demoness continued, her voice laced with worry.

"Worried 'bout me, Basilissa? I'm 'fraid that ain't your style."

"_**Is it so wrong to worry about the one companion I've had over the millennia and dread about what would happen should he die?"**_ Basilissa shot back, the flames on her vessel glowing bright for a moment before losing their intensity.

"_**I don't want to lose another holder,"**_ Corzo glanced at the skull that was her vessel.

"I'm startin' ta think you're growin' attached, Basilissa," the flames of the vessel grew brighter once more.

"_**Insolent lesser being! Do not think for a single second that I, Basilissa, have grown soft over the years!"**_

"Your words, not mine," Corzo tiredly replied before drifting off to sleep. The demoness said nothing and simply chose to growl, the fires growing brighter before they begin to merge, forming a figure.

Once it was done, the figure crept up onto the bed and had managed to tuck herself in with the gunslinger, snuggling her body against Corzo's front, breathing in the gunslinger's odd yet intoxicating scent.

"_You're lucky I didn't roast you, White,"_ Basilissa whispered as she and the gunslinger slept in silence.

* * *

-Nearby Feoh/At that time-

The town was in ruins, people were either running or dead as the Kuro Inu and their new Orc allies had begun to ravage the place. Many of those who tried to defend their homes were cut down or beaten and forces to witness their loved ones be raped in front of them. Others were doing their best to run away with varying forms of luck.

One was running through the streets, doing her best to avoid the ruthless mercenaries and their Orc allies.

This individual sported light brown skin and was around seventeen years old, wearing a white shirt and some blue pants, and she sported blood red hair and golden pupils to compliment her nice figure.

Currently, she had successfully managed to evade the invading mercenaries using the layout of the town to her advantage. However, just as she was crossing the street to the building across the street, a mean-looking wooden club had smashed into her, sending her flying back.

She screamed in pain as she landed, wincing as she felt some of her bones breaking from the two impacts of the club and of landing on the dirt. She looked up, eyes widening in fear as a nasty looking Orc, surrounded by ten or so mercenaries, approached her, its loincloth not even bothering to hide the thing's phallus erecting as it neared her.

"N-no!" She was about to bolt upwards only for two of the mercenaries accompanying the Orc to restrain her.

"Hey, this bitch looks pretty exotic. Doesn't beat them Dark Elves, though, but she's got some fine ass!"

"What say we take our turns with her after Grumgar here's done?" A rat-faced man asked, followed by the cheering of the surrounding mercenaries.

The woman struggled in their hold as the Orc was just this close from taking her there and now. He reeled her head back in disgust, the smelling of the Orc nauseating her.

"Hey! Stop squirming, cunt! Now be a good little slut and suck on it!" The rat-faced man sneered as he forced the woman's head closer to the Orc's phallus.

'_Is this how I'm going to die? As this Orc's plaything?'_ The woman was starting to struggle even harder. She was gonna die once these fiends were done with her. Never once kissed, never got to see life outside of this quaint little town, never been married-

Thunder. That's what she thought of the sound as. The mercenaries holding her and those around them had stopped in their tracks. And the Orc's head exploded into bits of gore, showering some in its blood. The greenskin's body fell onto its back with a loud thud as everyone else was silent, shocked at the sound and at how sudden the Orc's death was. The woman herself couldn't help but release the breath she was holding in as she had narrowly escaped becoming the Orc's sex toy.

Hearing footsteps despite the sounds of clashing metal and burning fires, they all turned to see a figure stepping into view, an odd contraption smoking in their hands. The figure said nothing and simply aimed their odd device at the mercenaries.

"Heh, looks like we got ourselves a little hero, boys!" The mercenaries laughed at their apparent leader's words.

"Look here, we don't appreciate your kind coming in and ruining our days and nabbing the girl for yourself," he sneered as he pushed the woman in their grasp forward, brandishing his blade, a rusty sword, as he did.

"So why don't you just leave and maybe we'll let this slide?" The figure simply said nothing but they did make their reply.

In the form of their odd contraption roaring once again and, while none of them could see it, send out a small, solid projectile that destroyed the rat-faced man's head, releasing their grip on the girl. The nameless stranger repeated the action with the other mercenaries, making a cacophony of thundering roars.

Hearing footsteps coming from behind them, the stranger faces more mercenaries and their new friends of Orcs and Imps and the like.

The stranger wasted no time and attacked, their contraption making those thundering booms.

Meanwhile, the woman they had saved had managed to hide behind something as she continued to watch the battle - no, this one-sided massacre – unfold. If this stranger succeeded in repelling the Kuro Inu here, then perhaps there was hope for her and all of Eostia.

For now, they'll have to deal with the small fry.

* * *

**Yeah, I dunno what I thought of the last few bits of this chappie either. Now I know you guys are fucking pissed that I didn't update in a while and I got the perfect reason why.**

**I done goofed.**

**Wanna know how I done goofed exactly? Well, let me tell you of a story starring yours truly.**

**Now you guys know in American schools that grades are ranked by letters (A for highest and F for lowest), right? Well, in the Philippines, grades are ranked by number (95.00 being the highest and 60.00 for the lowest). Take a C grade from the alphabetical grading system and a 75 grade from the numerical grading system as the passing average grade. Luckily for me, most of my grades were around 80 to 85/C+ to B. Except for one. One subject that has been taunting me since the second semester of my Grade 11 school year.**

**Basic Calculus. That subject is a massive cocktease to me. I mean I got 74 on both of my grading periods that semester! And anything below 75 is pretty much a failing grade. PUTANG INA! Piste uy!**

**So now I must pay for my mistakes and do summer school. Luckily, my teacher for this summer is more competent than my second semester teacher. At least he would clarify on this and that. And I get three hours of Basic Calculus from Monday to Friday starting from April 16 all the way to May 26. And my classmates for summer school are pretty good to hang out and compare notes with so that's a plus.**

**Anyways, enough of me ranting about my shortcomings. Time to announce some things.**

1.) I've set up a poll on my profile on who will be the three newcomers to accompany Flynn Taggert, Corzo White, and Jung Hae-Lin in their fight against the Kuro Inu. They will be various protagonists from other Doom mods well-known or otherwise.  
2.) I will not be replying to most of the reviews anymore by the end of my AN's starting from chapter 4 should I release it. I will still reply to them via PM's and whatnot.

**BTW, regarding the lieutenants Zan and Balth'Azar, I originally wanted them to be both Dio Brando and Yoshikage Kira (from **JoJo's Bizarre Adventures** by **Hirohiko Araki**) since those two have Doom mods made after them (**DIO** and **Kira's Bizarre Adventures**, both made by **Skelegant**) but then I realized it wouldn't really fit. Dio would be too arrogant and would not be seen as someone's minion (equal perhaps) and Yoshikage Kira just wanted a quiet life.**

**Now I also have a few plans for future fanfics. You guys can also use these ideas as bases for your own but do try to give some credit.**

**First, I'll be rebooting one of my old stories called **Grimm of Remnant, Dead of the Earth**. The reason behind this for those who have read it is because I've recently been playing **Unturned** (really great Free-To-Play game by **Nelson Sexton** which is available on Steam) again and doing some of the storylines such as Russia, Hawaii, and Greece as well as watching some lore videos by **SirAdy Unleashed**. Safe to say, I wanna redo that fanfic and try to make it better using what I now know so far.**

**Second, I will try to do a non-crossover fanfic involving Doom Mods (though that might technically be still considered a crossover) and trying to build my own Doom timeline separate from id Software's own timelines.**

**Third, I'm gonna do one of **Wimblegurk Brigade**'s challenges, **The Celestial**. Taking elements of films such as **Elysium**, **Chappie**, and** District 9** as well as some sci-fi games such as **System Shock**, this pretty much is how I'll do the challenge.**

**Fourth, I'm gonna try and do a crossover between **JoJo's Bizarre Adventures**, **Mad Father**, and **Misao** starring** Dio Brando**. IDK why OK, but since popular theories say that the blonde kid that **Aya** encounters in **Mad Father** was named **Dio**, I thought "Hey! Why don't I try to see if that really was Dio Brando and have him reincarnate to see if he can reconnect with Aya once more?" And since Misao is a sequel to Mad Father, I thought that game's setting would be perfect and somewhat fitting (maybe). This idea may or may not sink like the Titanic.**

**Fifth, I'm gonna try to do a crossover between **Highschool of the Dead** and **Twisted Metal** starring everyone's favorite chopper-riding reaper, **Mr. Grimm**! Yeah, I can see this one being more gruesome than the other ideas.**

**Lastly, I'm gonna do a crossover between **Unturned** (because I love that game) and** Kuroinu**. Don't expect the survivor factions to side with the Seven Shields directly or the Kuro Inu, they'll be their own group.**

**Now that's just about i- WAIT! I almost forgot!**

**If anyone here's a good artist (or has some good connections, y'know, for that hush-hush kush-kush), can you guys make a new cover art for this fanfic? If so, I would really appreciate it and give you guys/gals/things a shout-out next chapter's starting AN.**

**Now, NOW, that's just about it. See y'all motherfuckers, fathercuckers, beautiful daughters of bastards, and handsome sons of bitches later! PEACE!**


	5. 04: Quid est venire

**DOOM: Puer Infernalis**

**Hey guys, I'm back. Now, just to ease some worries, this won't be the chapter that will introduce the most voted three characters on the poll I've set up a while back right off the bat. This is just a chapter that'll (hopefully, for my sake) show the Seven Shields Alliance a fraction of the power that Flynn Taggert, Corzo White, and Jung Hae-Lin have to offer in their fight against the Kuro Inu.**

**I own abso-madafaken-lutely nothing. Enjoy!**

* * *

[Chapter 4: _Quid est venire/What is to come_]

-A few days later/En Route to Ansur/09:41:34 AM SGT (Standard Galactic Time)-

Chloe did _not_ appreciate her current situation as she rode her horse. She was the ever loyal assassin and retainer of the Queen of the Jagged Crown, Olga Discordia, and yet here she was doing this!

"_We may be fighting the same foe, Celestine Lucullus,"_ she though bitterly, knuckles going darker than her normal skin color as she gripped the reins tightly, _"but I am not yours to command!"_ With that said in her mind, she glared at the person running alongside her horse.

Corzo White paid the half-dark elf no heed as he kept up the pace with the equestrian creature. In all honesty, he could simply just outrun the poor girl but he thought better of it and decided to give her the illusion that he was trying to catch up. Carried on his back, secured firmly by some belts, is the Gate of Anthrakia, the staff itself giving off an otherworldly aura that Chloe had felt even at a distance between it and herself. The gunslinger had sensed the ill emotions that the half-dark elf girl was harboring towards him but had chosen not to confront it lest he delay the journey towards Ansur.

He and Chloe soon saw the tips of the outermost walls protecting Ansur in the distance, prompting the two to hurry in their pace. This was where Corzo decided to stop fooling around and picked up his speed, figuratively and literally leaving Chloe in the dust, making the half-dark elf yelp in surprise. As soon as the main gates were within a few meters away, the gunslinger skidded down to a halt, surprising the guards that were stationed there.

One of them, perhaps a new recruit judging by how young he looks, raised his lance at the newly-arrived gunslinger, the young lad shaking in his place as he did.

This wouldn't be the first time some people were hostile and intimidated every time Corzo White would come to a town. Whether it was back on Earth or any dimension the Hell Portals led to or even on this planet called Eostia, people were wary of the mysterious gunslinger that would come into their towns and disappear like the wind.

"Peace," the gunslinger held up one arm in a manner to placate the uneasy men, "I mean no harm." They were unsure of what he means by that as they still held their weapons out, although they look as if they prefer to avoid a conflict from happening.

Hearing the galloping of hooves, he glanced behind him to see that Chloe had finally caught up to him. From her expression on her face, she was not pleased when she saw him waiting by the gates with the uneasy guards.

"Why didn't you give me a warning before dashing, human trash?" she growled at him, making Corzo roll his eyes (although none can see it due to how they have this supernatural glow) as he addressed the guards.

"At ease, fellers," they were extremely reluctant to do so, "we just wanna do a li'l check on your little town. So open the gates an' let us two through and we'll be outta your hair," The gunslinger then turns to Chloe as the guards begin the process of opening the gates.

"To be frank, li'l missy," he noted that the half-dark elf's eyes narrowed as her scowl got a bit more intense when he addressed her as such, "I like ta' keep my friends on their toes, comprende? Looks like you could use it."

"I don't your helping me, human trash," Chloe retorted as she got off of her horse. The Shadow of the Dark Queen folded her arms underneath her petite breasts, frowning at the tall gunslinger accompanying her.

"Cry me a river, li'l missy," Corzo said as the two walked through the gates and into the Shield City of Ansur.

Ansur is one of the larger cities under the protection and/or influence of the Seven Shields Alliance. Established around twenty or so years after the war between Celestine Lucullus and Olga Discordia had begun, this city served originally as one of the more able training grounds for Celestine's forces, allowing the Seven Shields to quickly train more mercenaries and soldiers in hopes of fortifying as much of their cities while the already established mercenaries would deal with the Demon Armies of the North. As such, Ansur was known as the City of Mercenaries to all within Eostia.

That tidbit of history reminded Corzo of what exactly did Celestine did wrong during the war. She and her alliance clearly had the numbers to wage war, yet she didn't take the chance, making the gunslinger chuckle in his mind at how the Goddess Reincarnated held the mentality of saving everyone's lives including of each kingdom's actual soldiers while ironically sending scores of mercenaries to their deaths fighting the Demon Armies of the North.

Regardless, Ansur was originally intended as a massive training camp for mercenaries that were more aligned with Celestine's views. However, as more people were saved from the Demons that Olga had allied herself with, it became apparent that Ansur would have to be converted from simply a training grounds into a settlement until the war would be over, which the gunslinger thought of it as a good move on Celestine's part as it meant that lesser resources were wasted on making an entirely new settlement. And since Celestine and Olga decided to prolong the war, Ansur and other such training grounds of massive size were turned into the cities that they are now. Of course, the city isn't exactly a ray of sunshine.

Where other Shield Cities would be ruled by the Princess Knights and/or their family and trusted council (technically, this _is_ Maia's domain), Ansur was more or less a paradise for the criminal underworld. The city was currently under the rule of various crime families, with the top dogs (so to speak) being the multitude of crime families based around in this large city of mercenaries.

Currently, the more civilian-safe areas of the city were bustling with activity which should be expected of a populated area this large. Civilians were roaming the streets for whatever they were going to do today, vendors selling their merchandise by the sides of the roads, and some knights stationed there patrolling their posts.

Many would stop and stare as Corzo and Chloe walked to their destination. Women ranging from young teenagers to lonesome widows and even married women would gaze at the gunslinger as he passed them by, the younger ones giggling while some would give off some comments at how the half-dark elf was lucky to walk alongside him.

Many of the men would leer lecherously at Chloe given how her outfit did reveal many desirable traits of a woman's bare flesh, which was made even more sexually appealing thanks to her exotic skin color. But overall, the adults either neutral or negative that a dark elf was within their city, or at least a newcomer dark elf as a few surviving dark elves were seen living in the various villages near to or far from the Shield Cities themselves or, even rarely, actually living in the Shield Cities.

The children, on the other hand, had more positive auras coming from them as they would point in awe at either the gunslinger or his half-dark elf companion. They would even start talking about the staff on the former's back as its red gem would shine briefly before falling into a 'dormant' state if you would compare it to a sentient object.

"Let's move, human trash, I do not like all these looks," Chloe hissed as she walked beside the gunslinger. Corzo simply ignored her somewhat-subtle plea as he gazed upon the many citizens that they passed by, noting many would look away whenever his glowing eyes would meet theirs.

"Liven up a li'l, child," the half-dark elf scowled, "try an' enjoy the place bef'r' we get to the main joint of this here town, you comprende, child?" Corzo said as they passed through the streets.

"We're supposed to meet up with Lady Maia and assess the situation of this city, human trash," pointing at him without slowing down her pace. "And stop calling me a child! I have a name, human trash!"

"Maybe y'can call me by my name instead of callin' me human trash, child," the gunslinger retorted as he watched some of the citizens move about their daily lives. Seeing the men doing whatever they did such as drinking with friends or flirting with the ladies while the women would be a bit more responsible such as drying the recently washed clothes of theirs or their family's or their peers perhaps. Corzo couldn't help but lightly smile at those as he and the half-dark elf passed them by.

Chloe simply gritted her teeth as the gunslinger said those words. Her irritation seemed to grow as the man known as Corzo White kept labeling her a child.

Unbelievable! She had slaughtered many of the knights of the Seven Shields, had caused discord across their cities throughout the past five decades, and had killed many of the Alliances elite including a few Princess Knights of old. And yet this… human trash would refer to her as a child? Unacceptable! She will gladly drag her daggers down his back and rip out his innards if she could.

"Well, if yer done rantin', child," the human trash's voice broke her from her thoughts, "we're here."

Blinking, Chloe could definitely see that they had arrived to Maia's fortress. While not as large and extravagant as the White Fortress in Ken, Maia's own fortress serves its purpose of housing its nobility (or in Ansur's case, the head honchos of the head honchos in Maia's own words) and their staff.

By the gates, the two could see Maia grinning at them as she ordered the guards/soldiers stationed by the gates to let the two in.

As the two stepped inside, they could see the major difference from the White Fortress and Ansur's own fortress. Where the former was the epitome of pristine in the entire continent, the latter was more rowdy with various mercenaries and soldiers who were still loyal to the Alliance roughhousing and fighting one another with the intent of toughing one another up.

A crude yet somewhat effective method of training, the gunslinger noted. Looking to his left, he could see Maia's own Buredorozu company instructing some of the newer recruits, although he can tell that the young men were distracted by their… ahem, assets that were a bit exposed to begin with.

The gunslinger could see that Maia was by the entrance of the main hall, waving at them as soon as she laid her eyes on them. He and Chloe simply said nothing and changed their direction towards Maia.

"So," the self-proclaimed Mercenary Queen began, "what took you chumps so long?" Chloe glared at Maia's good-natured jab.

"I'd watch your tongue if I were you, human," the half-breed sneered, hands hovering over the grips of her personalized daggers. She made her hatred and annoyance clear to all within her vicinity. The self-proclaimed Mercenary Queen simply gave a teasing smirk before leading the two inside of the fortress.

"Lady and gentleman welcome to my not-so-humble abode and home away from home," Maia introduced as she dramatically gestured to just about everywhere in the main halls. Corzo simply shook his head while Chloe simply tried to burn a hole at the back of Maia's head with her glare.

A few minutes of unnecessary touring later, the trio made it to the war room. Here, multiple nobles and tacticians were busy discussing various methods on how to deal with the Kuro Inu that have been sighted near their borders. The tacticians were adamant on using the best they have in order to suffer the least amount of losses, while the nobles argued that they would be left defenseless should that plan be done and instead opted to have their lesser trained soldiers guard do the work in their own words.

"All I'm saying is," a young female's voice said, "that we have our archer divisions in the rear and our knights in the front when dealing with their small scouting parties. We'd lose less if we chose some of the better skilled ones than our new recruits."

The female was just out of her teenage years at twenty years old. She wore a dark robe over her white clothing underneath. Her light blonde hair was accentuated by her deep blue eyes.

"And what of us, Young Mistress Tactician? If we let our best go out and away from the city," A noble's voice argued, "The nobles will be in danger!"

The noble looked like any typical noble found anywhere. Dressed extravagantly despite the war he and his fellows were in.

The young tactician simply shot back with a slight change in her voice, "I'm not saying all of them should go. It would be best if about half of the best went out and struck the Kuro Inu scouting parties when they least expect it!"

"I'd say you best go with a quarter, li'l missy," Corzo's drawling voice made everyone else stop what they were doing and look at the gunslinger that had walked in unannounced.

The same noble who had argued with the female tactician sneered and asked rhetorically, "And who are _you_ to interrupt a meeting between those of noble blood, commoner?" Corzo simply rolled his eyes and answered.

"D'name's Corzo White… I'm li'l Miss Celestine's new private knight but folks 'round here an' there call me The Drifter," he let his words sink in to everyone in the room. The noble, and those around him, paled at the revelation.

Immediately, the noble kept his mouth shut as the gunslinger looked around the room, the silence seemingly comforting him.

"I gotta say," Maia started, "these bozos have been squawking day and night. Good to see at least someone had something to shut them up," she gave a grin as she finished. Corzo simply shrugged off her appreciation as he walked over and gazed at the map laid at the center of the room.

"When were these last updated?" The gunslinger asked the tactician that the noble from before was arguing with. She blinked before making her reply.

"U-uh, if I remember correctly… about a few days ago?" she gave a weak smile as the gunslinger simply nodded, eyeing the various miniature wooden figures representing both the rebelling Kuro Inu and Ansur's own forces.

"If that's the case, li'l missy," he spoke as he moved the figures representing the Kuro Inu a few centimeters closer to Ansur's location on the map, "then they'll be much closer than last y'all saw 'em. If I was you lot, I'd reinforce the gates while sending out 'em small groups to fight 'em rebels."

He pointed to where the forests surrounding the Shield City were. "If I was them, I'd camp out here. The thick woods oughta keep 'em hidden 'til they get ballsy and charge the lines." The tactician nodded as she thought his words over.

"But that means that…" Her eyes widened as she shot her head towards Corzo, "There'll be hundreds of them hiding there!"

"Aye, li'l missy," he nodded before grabbing his Cintia M1901 shotgun. "If any of y'all got some boys t'spare, you'd best send 'em to me now," he ordered the nobles and field commanders in the room.

"And if we don't, Sir White?" one asked. While they couldn't see it, Corzo smiled darkly under the shadows of his hat.

"Then I guess I'll be slaught'rin' them wild dogs down m'self," he chuckled as he turned to leave. One hand grabbed his shoulder before he was even a step away.

"Not so fast, Sir White," the tactician's voice reached his ears, making him slightly turn his head to her in response.

"I'm ass'min' y'got some folk in mind, li'l missy?" The tactician nodded at his question.

"I have a few mercenaries able to lend a blade or two, Sir White. Some of the best I'd ever fight alongside with," her words made him raise an eyebrow.

"You fight? Hardly look the part, li'l missy," the tactician pouted briefly before nodding.

"I'm more of a field tactician that one stuffed into a room like this," she gestured to the room they were in. She also patted the scabbard at her hip, revealing that she was armed and ready for combat. Corzo can see that the sword itself was rather simple in comparison to the rest of the ones used by the Seven Shields. A practical one, Flynn and he would approve of this.

"My mercenaries are ready to go, too, stud," Maia spoke up with a bit of a tease at the end as she drew her blades from their sheaths and twirled them around for a bit. The gunslinger simply nodded, resting the shotgun into his shoulder as he walked out of the war room. He looked at Chloe, the half-dark elf glowering at him before sighing.

"I suppose I can lend a hand. Not because I want to but because you'd fail otherwise, human trash," he frowned at that. Her attitude might be a hindrance at some point.

"Then let's go get 'em, li'l missies," he drawled as he walked through the halls with the tactician, Maia, and Chloe in tow, leaving the nobles and the other tacticians to discuss further on how to defend the city.

[-]

They had reached the Buredorozu's barracks first at Maia's request. The gunslinger could see some familiar faces around like Eliza for instance.

"Alright, ladies," Maia's voice brought them out of their relaxation, "we got ourselves some pricks to kill and people to save! I'm gonna need some of our more experienced girls go along with us for this run," the mercenaries nodded at their commander's words.

"Alrighty then… Sarah, Penny, Eliza, Alyx, Regina, Calypso! All of you ladies form up on me!" The six mentioned did so and readied themselves.

Sarah was a tall woman at around six feet flat with an athletic body to back it up. Her chocolate brown hair was tied into a ponytail and her aquamarine eyes were behind a pair of clear spectacles. She wore a black tank top and dark brown pants with pieces of leather armor on them and on her shoulders and torso for protection. On her back were a blunderbuss that she had bought from the Halflings and a greatsword she had personally made herself.

Penny was a short woman at five feet and three inches, but her lithe frame allows her to maneuver quickly to strike and avoid as she fights. Her ginger hair makes her stand out from the rest, alongside that it is styled in drill-like curls at the sides, and her emerald eyes do the same. She wore a simple blue blouse underneath her set of leather and steel armor. On her hip was a battle axe made for someone her size while on her back was a short bow. A quiver of custom-made arrows lay by her side, along with a pouch filled with medical supplies.

Eliza was still the same in terms of appearance. She still wore what essentially is considered an armored bikini, although it covered more than the other sets of armor worn by either Claudia or her Dawn Templars or Alicia and her own Iris Knights as they fully shielded Eliza's breasts and ass along with providing protection to her arms, legs, shoulders, hips, and back. A rapier was on her left hip and a long sword was on her right.

Alyx sported lightly tanned brown skin, and was standing at five feet and eleven inches in height. Compared to the previous three, Alyx had focused more on muscle than feminine beauty in some regard as her body had more hardened muscles and less body fat (which translated to less bouncy assets, her team mates would tease from time to time). Her black hair was kept into a bun with a few loose bangs framing her face, and her steel blue eyes shone with some hardness in them. She wore a simple white shirt underneath an open leather vest with black gloves for her upper wear, while her lower wear consisted of blue pants and brown shoes. This attire made her stand out to the others in the group as no apparent armor can be seen. Two pointed ears were obvious, signifying that Alyx is a dark elf, potentially making her the oldest in the group. The weapon in a holster fastened to her right upper leg was a flintlock pistol and the weapon on her left breast was an intricate dagger of some sorts.

Regina was a woman of athletic build as well, with somewhat pale skin going neatly with her cyan blue eyes. She wore a leather bodysuit that was dyed black at the main body and light gray at the legs, with the sleeves removed to reveal her arms, and her forearms were covered by long, light gray gloves that were fingerless by the hands. Two dark brown boots made up her footwear, reinforced with iron to ensure that extra kick in her attacks involving her legs. A scimitar was sheathed on her right hip and a flintlock carbine was slung over her back.

And lastly was Calypso. She was a woman of the same height as Maia, if not taller, with the average light brown skin color. Her dark brown hair was kept short, reaching only past her shoulder blades. Her eyes were of a light emerald hue. She wore a rather revealing set of armor. White pauldrons, gauntlets, metal greaves, and a metal skirt with gold trims, they exposed her body despite the aim to protect. Her chestplate wasn't too protective either, only covering small portions of her breasts. Luckily, silk fabrics were able to cover up the rest of her body yet still show off her prominent figure. A warhammer was firmly resting on her back.

"Alright, let's move out! We got ourselves a city to defend!" Maia's words energized the aforementioned women, who eagerly readied their weapons as they stepped out of the barracks.

"So what's the plan, boss?" One of them, Regina, asked.

Maia simply led them to the stables, explaining to them on the way.

"Impossible, they shouldn't be able to move so swiftly in such a short span of time!" Alyx protested.

"Well, li'l missy," Corzo spoke, "perhaps they weren't moving fast… If they've been preparing for a longer time."

"You don't mean…"

"I'm sayin' these dogs have been pr'parin' to take Eostia by force for a long time, we're only seein' the op'nin' act so to speak."

"Hmph, perhaps if you humans actually took note of the signs, this would've been avoided," Chloe jabbed at them. The tactician, listening in, spoke up.

"Well, considering you and your queen kept us busy, we weren't exactly aware of the problem!"

"Enough, lass," Corzo calmly stated, gaining their attention. "We're here, so saddle up and let's ride on out!" Maia simply nodded and gestured to her close friends and fellow veterans to get on their personal steeds.

Chloe scowled but didn't protest as she got on her horse. She did not want to experience her arm, or any other limb for that matter, being broken then snapped back into position again.

The women noted that while they had gotten on their horses, the Drifter had opted to stay on his feet rather than ride.

"Sir White, perhaps it would be more comfortable if you rode with one of us," to the surprise of the one asking, Penny, the Drifter simply shook his head. For emphasis, Corzo tapped his legs.

"I can keep up with y'all. Chloe 'ere can vouch for that," when they looked at the mentioned half-dark elf, she simply gave a nod as she narrowed her eyes.

Grabbing the reins, Maia got her horse to move.

"HYAH!"

With that, they were off. To the surprise of the women on horseback, the Drifter did in fact kept up with them. The more perceptive of the bunch, like the tactician, Eliza, Calypso, and Chloe, took note that the staff on the man's back was glowing, particularly the blood red gem on the top/tip.

"_Who is this man?"_ were the collective thoughts of these women as they all travelled into the woods surrounding Ansur.

[-]

They had reached the opening to the forest. The women had dismounted their horses as Corzo had grabbed his staff. He brought the magic weapon closer to his face, feeling the heat emanating from the gem/crystal.

The Helfire being channeled through the crystal was rather intense for any normal mortal being. This meant that there was still a lot of Helfire to go through before the staff must go dormant again.

Flynn had cautioned both him and Hae-Lin on using their more powerful weapons. Flynn's own Plasma Rifles and his BFG's used Argent Energy, which can burn far more intense than the sun that the Earth orbits around, meaning usage of those weapons are a last resort and only then if no other option can present itself. The Plasma Rifles were easier to use as their projectiles aren't too destructive per shot, essentially dissipating a second or two after making an impact on whatever they had hit which would still leave smoldering holes in their wake, but the BFG's own were far more devastating, especially in a large city.

In Corzo's case, the Helfire in his two power weapons, the Gate of Anthrakia and the Mask of Basilissa, can burn hotter than the core of a planet the size of Earth which, while not as intense as Argent Energy's potential heat generated, can still burn straight through a planet if one were to haphazardly fire it wildly. The Gate of Anthrakia fires less intense Helfire, but the Mask of Basilissa can fire fireballs nearly as devastating as the BFG 9000's own projectiles.

"Keep close. " He warned, slinging over his staff on his back for the time being, as they slowly progressed through the forest. "They'll use the shadows as cover." The tactician's eyes widened.

"Standard ambush tactics!" The Drifter nodded at her words.

"No honor amongst these dogs, eh?" Calypso asked rhetorically, sword in her right hand.

"This is warfare, lass, there's no such thing as honor." Corzo moved away a branch that was in his path, letting the women move first before moving on.

As they passed through, Corzo could note that there were voices nearby. His hearing, as well as Chloe's, caught the voices of men and Orcs.

They were close.

Readying one of his M12 Grasa sub-machineguns, the Drifter began to take lead.

"What is it?" Maia asked to the Drifter as he overtook her.

He simply aimed the tip of his gun at one direction.

"Kuro Inu forces nearby, best you ready yourselves, lassies," he said with finality in his voice as he walked up to the bushes blocking their foe from their view. He forced them apart, revealing more than before.

A group of Kuro Inu appeared. Lightly armed, the men were. The Orcs, the Imps, and the Trolls were more or less the same.

"Well, well, well… If it ain't Maia," one of them spoke, condescendingly so, as he lecherously leered at the group.

"Decided to surrender to us instead of fighting? I should've known you're not as loyal to that Whore Goddess as we thought." The men chuckled, while the Orcs, Imps, and Trolls simply grunted and grinned like idiots.

Maia gritted her teeth in anger, brandishing her swords.

"I'm giving you this only warning. Surrender and we might be lenient." Her only answer came in the form of guffawing men, who also readied their weapons.

"Surrender? I think you're mistaking the situation, slut!" As if on cue, more Kuro Inu emerged from all around them.

"We fucking outnumber you and your little boy toy!"

Sarah unsheathed her greatsword, Penny readied her short bow and nocked an arrow, Eliza grabbed her rapier and sword, Alyx aimed her flintlock pistol, Regina unsheathed her scimitar, Calypso swung out her warhammer, and the tactician brought out her sword.

The men of the Kuro Inu did the same, making a cacophony of weapons being drawn out of their sheaths and holsters.

The Kuro Inu made their move first, not giving Maia's group any time to think it through.

It wasn't a problem for Corzo White, though.

As soon as the first dead man swung his blade, Corzo opened fire. The bursts of .460-Rowland rounds tore through the men and the Orcs like knives through butter.

Swaying his aim, the Drifter continues to shoot down the rest of them as he quickly moved. Ignoring the screams of agony and dodging their strikes, Corzo was like a hurricane of thunder that destroyed their ranks.

Maia and the others can only look on in surprise as their sole male companion shot up the opposition like a skilled archer hitting the bull's eye on all the targets in a county fair.

Corzo ceased firing from his SMG and grabbed his Montaraz-1899 shotgun. Aiming it at one of the Orcs, he fired, the double-barreled 10-Gauge blast of metal pellets shredding through their unarmored bodies.

The Orcs and the mercenaries that were stubborn enough to keep fighting despite being lit aflame began to attack, prompting the Drifter to dodge their strikes and jump away from the burning foes.

Jumping again, Corzo fired again, killing off a few of them. Reloading, he dashes past them and fires again, killing more of them.

Shoot, kill, reload, and repeat. Within a few seconds, the dead bodies of Orcs and Kuro Inu littered the forest area they were in. One man tried to crawl away, bleeding as he did. His whimpering gathered the attention of Maia's group.

Maia instructed Regina and Sarah to restrain him as she knelt down to speak to him.

"Where is your camp? Tell us and we may spare your life," Maia spoke, voice slightly faltering at the combination of the smell of bleeding bodies. _"Why did it have to come to this?"_ she asked in her mind.

The man gurgled out blood as he tried to speak.

"Penny!" The short woman nodded, grabbing something from her medical pouch. Kneeling down to the man, she began to stitch up the wounds as much as she could.

Chloe surveyed the surroundings. Dead bodies everywhere, all done in less than a minute.

"_What nation could've built such devastating weapons?"_ She can only dread what in the name of all of Eostia would require such destructive forces to be used. That dread became stronger at the thought of someone like Corzo White wreaking havoc across the continent or, worse, the very nation that he originated from taking interest and conquering this land.

The aforementioned Drifter simply watched the corpses with disinterest. These were simply the casualties in a war. They weren't the first and they won't be the last.

It was the circle of war, a never-ending cycle where only the best can survive and thrive in.

The dying man's gurgling caught his attention. Making his way to the group, he placed a hand on Penny's shoulder.

"He's lost, child, no need to waste over one," he spoke in that calm voice that rubbed off the wrong way. Penny wanted to argue, that saving this man's life would allow them the benefit of knowing where the rest were. Yet that gaze stopped her from doing so; that cold, dead gaze that unsettles many. The gaze that speaks of things left unspoken and sees things best left unseen.

And so, doing what the mysterious drifter had told her, Penny allowed the man to bleed out.

"W-We could've saved him!" The gunslinger simply shot the poor bastard's head off with his Montaraz-1899 shotgun. Ignoring the medic's shock and horror, he gave his reply.

"His suff'rin' would've gone on longer, lass," a calm tone came from his lips. "Besides, he's one of them Kuro Inu gits, I think we'd all prefer 'em dead," he finished off in a cold tone.

Glancing around, the tactician made herself the center of attention.

"Judging by their direction, it appears that their camp must be further in," the tactician spoke up, pointing in the direction that the group of brigands and Orcs had come from. Maia didn't reply, nor did Regina and Calypso and the others, too focused on the dead bodies still burning.

They had died at the hands of their sole male companion.

The gunslinger simply nodded, readying his Montaraz-1899 once more, loading a fresh pair of 10-Gauge shells into the two barrels. "Much obliged, tactician," said the gunslinger to the tactician.

"Robyn," he looked at the tactician.

"What?"

"My name is Robyn," the tactician, Robyn, replied as she shrugged. "Figured I say it now so you don't have to call me tactician, anymore," the gunslinger simply nodded at that, closing the double-barreled shotgun in his hands. The sound had snapped Maia out of her previous state, looking at Corzo with a horrified gaze.

"H-how long have you been holding b-back?" He looked at her, those damned eyes never losing their otherworldly glow.

"What're you getting' on with, lass?" A finger pointed at the staff on his back was the answer.

"I mean why didn't you use them so much at the start of all this?!" Corzo simply shrugged as he looked at the weapons in question, his response pissing Maia off. Looking around, he sees that the rest had their weaponry out; an interrogation, one where it can lead into two outcomes.

He could tell them about the reason why he nor Hae-Lin nor Flynn had bothered to do so and they all come with him quietly.

Or dead by his hands as he kills them.

Raising the M12 Grasa and the Montaraz M1899, he explains.

"The amm'n'tion I carry for these thingamajigs are in limited supply. Not only that, but y'all lacked the proper means of makin' 'em," keeping away the shotgun, he then pulled the charging handle of the SMG and showed to them the cartridge. A stout, brass thing, they noted, with an oddly shaped tip for the bullet.

"The brass you can fetch for me, but the gunpowder?" He shook his head," It's a whole lot more refined than what your little peashooters can handle, that's for sure." With a single finger, he flicked the round from the casing and emptied the contents of the casing onto his free hand.

"Each grain is smaller and more refined than your crudely placed powder. Where yours is crafted by hand, ours are done by machines, designed to push the limits of precision and firepower," gingerly putting all the gunpowder back into the casing, putting the bullet back into place and stuffing it back into his satchel, Corzo White begins to leave.

"I'll be off now, li'l ones. Hope y'all can catch up," with that, the gunslinger had left the group to dwell in their silence.

After a few minutes, Regina decided to be the one that breaks the silence. "So that's Corzo White, huh? I gotta say, thought he'd be bigger."

"Scary," Sarah said, the woman shivering on the inside on how cold the man had sounded in his words. Calypso narrowed her eyes and looked to Robyn.

"A man with that much power could easily pose a threat to all of Eostia and her neighbors if left unchecked."

"I know," Robyn replied, not taking her eyes off of the now-departing Drifter, "which is why we have to make sure he doesn't have a reason to turn on us."

[-]

Corzo sighed as no further signs of the Kuro Inu war camp were seen. A little further, he hazarded a guess, and he'd see them. A quick glance at the sky showed that the sun was setting down in the next hour or so. Perfect, he'd hazard a guess and say that the Kuro Inu will use campfires to light up their encampment at night. Assuming he can find the bastards, of course.

"_**Well that's just swell, these little mortals know how to hide,"**_ Basilissa's voice echoed in his head as the demonette spoke. They had been searching for the past few minutes, and still there was no sign of any war camp within the immediate vicinity.

"I'd say our progress is a li'l slow, Basi. Would it really hurt if you can just zip that piehole of a mouth of yours shut?" The gunslinger rhetorically asked as he scanned the area, Thunderhawk readied in his left hand.

"_**No it won't, insolent lesser being,"**_ she gave a sensual growl as she replied. Since she wasn't allowed to manifest out of her skull, the demon queen had taken to speaking out her mind to Corzo whenever the two are alone or within the presence of Flynn or Hae-Lin.

"_**It just means that I am not having what you lesser beings call fun,"**_ she added as Corzo walked a few feet forward. She would've continued on until she started to catch something with her nose.

Taking a few experimental whiffs of the air around them, Basilissa eyes widened within her mental plane.

"_**Corzo, do you-"**_

"I do, Basi. I oughta wait for the ladies, though," his words were met with a scoff from the demon queen.

"_**Has this land already weakened you much in such a blink of an eye? I hope that that isn't the case here."**_

"It ain't," he took a seat on one of the larger and smoother stones in the area, "I'm just givin' 'em gals some time to catch up, is all."

As if on cue, Maia and her group had caught up to the Drifter, most ready to fight if their drawn weapons aren't obvious to begin with. Nobody said anything as they regarded Corzo with differing expressions. He crossed his arms as he addressed them.

"Well?" Maia tilted her head as her hands stayed firm on her hips.

"I'm gonna reckon they're close?" Corzo White nodded, grabbing his Gate of Anthrakia from his back. The powerful staff gave off that sensation once again that made Chloe reel back slightly.

"I'd thread lightly, if I was you gals," the gunslinger said, bringing up his M12 Grasa. Maia gave a smirk, a forced one if he ever saw one, as she drew out her swords from their scabbards.

"Let's get to it, then," the gunslinger nodded and led the way.

For minutes, they had walked in complete silence. As the gunslinger walked ahead of them, the women were eyeing his back with questions running through their heads.

Who was Corzo White? Why was he here? What exactly did he want?

Questions such as that ran through their heads as they trekked the forest as the sun continued to set. Suddenly, Corzo stopped, raising a closed fist to signal them to do the same. Readying their weapons, they prepared themselves.

"Are they close, human trash?" Chloe asked, still snarky as ever as she readied her daggers. Corzo readied his SMG with his other hand holding the Gate of Anthrakia, the staff sending down chills through their spines.

"Real close, lass," was his only reply as he walked into the bushes…

… And had walked right into the hidden Kuro Inu war camp. The very one that they were looking for.

At first, nobody did anything. They had just stared at one another, the Kuro Inu's soldiers' eyes widening and Maia and her group watching with equally wide eyes.

Corzo had fired the first few shots, killing a group with a few bursts before activating his staff. These dogs were more trained, it appeared, as they immediately sounded the alarm and sprang into action.

"What're you fools waiting for? GET THEM!" One of the apparent leaders of the war camp cried out before a flintlock shot from Alyx forced him to duck and hide behind cover.

"Dammit!" Alyx kept away her flintlock pistol and started to use her dagger against the lighter armored foes.

Sarah shot her blunderbuss at a group before bringing out her greatsword to carve a path through her enemies.

Penny used her bow to great effect, killings those she can and wounding those she couldn't. Calypso helped finished off the wounded ones with her warhammer, using it as well to take on the larger foes.

Eliza used her rapier to lightly stab her foes as she kept herself light on her feet, dodging blows that would snap her rapier and parrying those that wouldn't as she took down a few Kuro Inu before jumping back to rejoin with the others.

Chloe was like lightning, her speed allowing her to evade any attack coming her way as she used her two daggers to cut up her enemies, leaving none alive.

Regina knelt to fire her carbine before getting into melee combat with her scimitar. She dodged and parried whatever she can. She also utilized some unarmed combat through the media of fists and feet being thrown in elegant yet swift and deadly manner.

They'd do fine for now, Corzo observed.

The sound of clashing steel from directly behind him reminded him that he wasn't out of the fight just yet. Turning his head, he saw that Robyn had blocked an oncoming sword before kicking away its owner. Maia had used her short swords to throw off her enemies as she danced through them.

"You call yourselves Kuro Inu?! I've seen babes do better than you!" The Mercenary Queen taunted as she continued to cut them up, clearly enjoying the thrill of combat.

In her thrill, she did not notice one Orc slowly sneaking up on her, raising its warhammer to strike her down.

Corzo did, however, and he used his bullwhip to snap the poor thing's neck in the wrong direction, effectively beheading it in a way. Maia blinked as the ugly thing's corpse fell with a loud thud. Looking at the Drifter, she gave a toothy grin.

"Thanks for the save, but I could've taken him," the gunslinger simply shrugged as he resumed to kill off more of the Kuro Inu, using his bullwhips to take them apart before switching to his Thunderhawk and firing at the distant soldiers/mercenaries.

Maia began to slice at any that would get near her, as did Chloe. The two shortsword users moved with a grace rarely seen in the middle of an actual battlefield and not in a sanctioned tournament. Eliza herself seemed to dance around her foes, striking at their weak points with her rapier. Penny had jumped high into the air, firing a trio of arrows that stopped a Troll in its tracks, with Regina killing off a few Hobgoblins that were sneaking up on the ginger-haired medic with her scimitar and firing her freshly-reloaded flintlock carbine at an armored soldier of the Kuro Inu while Sarah would do the same. Calypso slammed warhammer into a group of Kuro Inu and Orcs, crushing them. Robyn, lastly, had killed off a few on her own with her sword.

They were doing fine by Corzo's standards. Sloppy at a few moments, but nonetheless fine as they took down sizable amounts of enemies.

The gunslinger then ducked under the swing of one Orc before killing it with his Cintia M1901 shotgun. He takes notice of multiple imps rushing at him, their red bodies being bright beacons for him to snuff out. There were nearly a hundred of them, he estimated. Most would've fled at the sight…

But not someone like Corzo White.

Corzo placed the shotgun back into the pouch before bringing out the Gate of Anthrakia, the destructive staff's lone blood red gem glinting in the dying sunlight. Aiming the weapon, he lets lose its main attack.

A steady stream of Helfire that seemed to reach out infinitely, roasting the imps alive. The Kuro Inu had paused as they saw the hellish display of power.

Not giving them any time to retaliate, the gunslinger aims the staff at the Orcs, roasting them as easily as the imps, while he shoots at the human targets with his M12 Grasa, nailing them in the chests of the heads as he did.

Maia and the girls could only stop as well, watching in horror as living beings, human or otherwise, were being eaten alive by the flames. Even from a considerable distance, they all felt the heat. It was like being close to a volcano that was violently erupting.

Ceasing the flames, the gunslinger rights the staff and slams its' bottom into the ground. Sending nothing but a thought, the gunslinger activates its secondary, more devastating, attack.

All round him, entire streams of Helfire slithered across the large war camp of the traitorous mercenaries like snakes straight out of Hell itself, incinerating any that stood in their way.

The gunslinger moved, as did the streams of Helfire that killed any of the Kuro Inu. Corzo had mentally held himself back, as he did not want to kill the Princess Knight and her friends indirectly through the Helfire. Had he been alone, he would've gladly burnt down the entire forest with the Kuro Inu and their inhuman allies in it, but he wasn't, as such he had to hold back.

Sometimes being with friends can be a pain in one's neck.

After a minute of outright incinerating his enemies, Corzo ceases the flames and surveys his surroundings.

The entire war camp was singed; nothing but his allies and he were spared from the destructive flames. Bodies upon bodies were unrecognizable charred corpses, making it was hard to tell which were human and which were not. Corzo went over to one dead mercenary and gave it a light tap with his boot. It crumbled to ash within seconds.

"Not bad, not bad at all," he mused to himself out loud before turning to Maia and her allies.

They were scared. Not the type of scared where little boys were afraid of touching girls because of cooties or whatnot.

The truly scared type of scared, looking at him as if he was the devil himself and they were the members of the cloth. It brought back memories of scared townsfolk whenever he'd ride into their towns for a quick drink before departing into the plane between the living and the dead.

He always hated those looks yet he never lashed out on them back then and certainly not now.

He took a step towards them, they backed away ten steps.

"You're afraid," he stated the obvious after the silence between them became unbearable.

[-]

Maia could not believe what she had just witnessed. One moment she and the girls were busy killing off the soldiers and the monsters within the war camp, the next moment the entire skyline was burning along with the war camp and the forest. The screams of utter agony that reached her ears were harrowing, echoing within the confines of her mind and no doubt of the other girls as well.

Maia had felt fear again. It was like before, before she even knew how to fight and was a simply farm girl living happily with her mother and father in a quaint little village on the outskirts of Geofu.

Then the monsters came, killing her father and raping her mother all while she watched helplessly from behind the slightly ajar doors of her closet. They had sniffed her out later and had brought her to the outside of the house, where the rest of the horde was waiting with dead men and raped women around them strewn across the place like a festival of gore.

She remembered being saved that day by the then-loyal Kuro Inu mercenary group, specifically by a younger Vult, who simply held the title of Platoon Leader back then before he had risen through their ranks into the man that he was today. He was twenty and she was ten at the time, many years ago.

She was remembering that time of fear once more as she saw the sole male companion of their group single-handedly burn their foes alive with that staff of his.

When he had spoken just now, his voice didn't sound like the drawling foreigner that she had grown accustomed to. It sounded… wrong.

_Inhuman_,_ demonic_ even.

She had struggled to find her voice for a few seconds. When she finally did, she had stuttered it out.

"Wh-wh-who a-are you?" She quivered in her place, the gunslinger's gaze seeming staring directly into the Mercenary Queen's soul rather than her face or her eyes. The man kept silent, as if trying to find the proper answer that wouldn't set off anything rash.

Then he spoke.

[-]

Chloe hadn't this type of fear from anyone else save… _**him.**_

The very thought of that… _**monster**_ sent a dark chill down her spine. Even after years of escaping and leading some of Lady Olga's monster hordes, _**his**_ very existence filled with dread even when she was far from _**him.**_

That was the kind of fear she felt when she saw the gunslinger Corzo White unleash those demonic flames to turn their foes into mere cinders and ashes currently being scattered into the wind. Rarely would she see her own mistress use a powerful fire spell such as _Inferna_ to turn any unlucky warrior into cinders, but that took longer than what this… creature had done in such a short span of time and to so many targets.

"Wh-what a-are y-yo-you?" She too had stuttered in her words at the powerful display.

Then the gunslinger spoke.

[-]

Robyn hasn't seen such vulgar display of power.

Unlike others, Robyn had lived her life in relative safety within the walls of Ansur until news of her father perishing fending off a band of Orcs came to shatter her sheltered life. Her mother had taken the loss hard, loudly mourning when she was awake and silently weeping when she was asleep. Robyn herself had taken the loss hard as well, barely coming out of her room unless it was to eat away her sorrows with sweets and/or drink them away with milk and honey. It was a miracle that they had survived from their inactivity, thanks to a close friend of her father's (Her father's commanding officer, actually) having taking it upon himself to help the mother and daughter move pass the pain.

It wasn't until she had seen multiple soldiers in the man's barracks wounded that she had become motivated to help them drive back any way she can. As she was still six at the time, she was barred from sparring not because she was a member of the opposite sex but because she was born with a slightly weaker body than the average human being.

She was still able to help them through tactics, somehow coming up with strategies that resulted in the least losses for them and crippling defeat to their enemies.

As she had grown into the fine woman that she is today, she learned that there are atrocities and other horrors soldiers had or will face on a daily basis.

She just didn't know that the sole male of the group had such a horrifying weapon within his arsenal.

She didn't speak, for the two questions she wanted to say were already spoken by Maia and Chloe.

Then she heard the man speak in that voice.

[-]

"The name's Corzo White, and this," he simply looks at the razed forest and war camp, "is just a taste of what happens should you even think of screwing me over."

His words carried a sense of gravity over the entire group of female warriors. Every one of them was dreading the thought of someone on their side of the war pissing off the Drifter to the point he'd do… this to Eostia. That feeling of dread had gotten stronger as they remembered the two others with Corzo White: Jung Hae-Lin and Flynn Taggert.

Out of the three, it would appear that Miss Hae-Lin was the most calm of the trio. But looks can be deceiving, as they have all learned one way or another over the course of the previous war against the Dark Queen of the Jagged Crown and the current war against Vult and his band of mercenaries of the Kuro Inu and their newfound friends in the form of the monstrous hordes of Garan.

Sir Taggert, on the other hand… the killing intent that he gave off sent shivers across their bodies whenever they were near him. They can only dread what would've been had the man chose a different side or had sided with none at all.

The gunslinger took note of their silence and used it to walk past them. They made no indication that they had noticed until he spoke again.

"So are you gals gonna stand there lookin' purdy or are you's gonna come back with me to Ansur?" He asked, his voice gone from that smooth yet demonic tone to the drawling desert-dweller tone that they all know and are accustomed to.

Maia nodded, seemingly speaking for everyone present. "Y-yeah, l-let's go."

And they did, leaving the war camp and the surrounding parts of the forest utterly burnt beyond recognition.

Had any of them lingered any longer, they'd see something arrive.

Had any of them lingered any longer, they'd see that this was Balth'Azar himself as he inspected the burnt surrounding.

"_**Hmm…"**_ the Hell Baron had hummed, stroking his chin as if it had a beard rather than the stony flesh that all Hell Barons are known to have, _**"It would appear that Basilissa is here as well."**_

The demon had been tracking down certain things that had been hidden across Eostia and the entire continent of Selenus. The presence of the _**Mors Exitio**_ meant that sooner or later his home dimension would take notice and begin to conquer it.

That part of Hell Balt'Azar still held fondly to his dark heart, but the rest of it he loathed with a passion. The Spiders had crippled their true God, to the point a mere human had destroyed it singlehandedly. When they had sent the Titan to stop this human, Balth'Azar was tempted to storm the _**Habitaculum Araneae**_ and kill them all off for wasting such a powerful demon to kill one measly human.

But it wasn't until he had seen that human singlehandedly kill the Titan and entire hordes of Hellspawn with nothing but his armor, his fists, his feet, and his dreaded _**Continentis Inferos**_ after full-on years of non-stop fighting.

It was then that Balth'Azar had begun to not fear but respect the _**Mors Exitio**_ despite him belonging to a species that he deems weaker than his own. When he had learned that the _**Mors Exitio**_ had been sealed away in a weakened state, Balth'Azar had seen him as a kindred spirit.

Both hated Hell for reasons personal, and both had garnered a reputation fear and respected throughout the demonic realm and their conquered territories.

"_**Doom Slayer…"**_ Balth'Azar spoke out the human translation, _**"Someday, we shall have our final bout. It was prophesized by the **__**Typos Paganos**__** as it was surely prophesized by Argent D'Nur's very own **__**Nativus Idolona**__**,"**_ he paused to open his mouth and soon many souls of the recently deceased began to flood in, filling him with energy slowly. It wasn't enough to reach his full power, but he shall settle with it for now.

"_**I can only hope that you are merciless as they say,"**_ he snorted before summoning a portal to spirit himself away to some unknown location. As he had disappeared, his last words were spoken.

"_**For I shall be as ruthless as possible, that is my guarantee."**_

* * *

-Back in Ken/The White Fortress/09:57:13 PM Galactic Standard Time-

Within the confines of Flynn Taggert's own room, the Soul Cube was glowing. The Martian weapon/artifact started to hover from where it had lain, its' alien blades spinning along its' cube-like body.

"_**They draw ever close… The dragon of powerful metal… the man of blazing trails… and the little tailor girl…"**_ the object of Martian origin hummed and glowed one last time before falling dormant once more.

* * *

-Kingdom of Dragundaala/At that time-

Catue was enjoying a nightly stroll through the woods. The Princess Knight had gazed upon the Night Lilies around here, captivated by the enchanting blue particles being released as the light of the moon had touched the flowers.

Grandfather would have loved the sight, she sadly smiled. Looking up into the clear night skies, Catue searched for a shooting star to make a wish from.

Before long, she had found one. It was oddly red compared to the bluish white colors of the other stars. If what she could remember from the classes on Astronomy and on Elements she and her fiancé, Jindrack, had attended, red flames tend to be the least intense in terms of heat.

So this shooting star is much like her, huh? Despite their beauty, they were still weak, especially when compared to their respective peers.

Closing her eyes and putting her hands together as if she were praying in church, she began to speak.

"Oh red star, swimming across the endless, beautiful sea of blue and white stars," she said as if greeting the celestial object, "I pray that my wish is granted. Please grant my friends in Eostia the strength to face the horrors that are to come in the coming weeks. I could not bear to think what would happen should any of them perish."

Different visions of Alicia, Prim, Kaguya, Ryuu-Ryuu, Maia and the rest of the Princess Knights native to Eostia flashed through her mind.

As she finished her wishing, she opened her eyes. Hmm, odd, it appears as though the red star was growing bigger by the second. Squinting, she noticed that it _was_ getting bigger. And it was heading straight towards her! Emerald green eyes widening, she began to run to the side as the red star had bypassed her and had crashed into the woods ahead, creating a somewhat deep furrow in the land that continued until the star had slowly came to a stop, the process taking nearly a minute to do.

Catue got up, sweat created by the heat coming from the fallen star apparent on her face and body. "What was that?!"

Part of her wanted to head back to her parents' castle and have them send a band of knights in the morrow. Part of her wanted to see it just to sate her hungry curiosity at this very instant.

Going with the latter, which was perhaps against the judgment of a more rational-minded person such as Claudia, Catue had ran to where the star had ceased moving.

As she got closer to where the star was, Catue noticed that small, shiny bits of bronze littered the area. The amount was small at first, until they slightly grew with every meter Catue had taken towards the fallen star.

When she had reached the end of the long furrow, what she saw was not what she had expected. She had expected an alien rock of unknown material that could benefit Dragundaala and her allies; she had expected a burning inferno that would've burnt the rest of the forest.

She did not expect to see a Draco-Demon lying down on its' back as the fallen star's identity.

Draco-Demons were normally found and by normally it meant that only a rare few of the already rare few found in Dragundaala would be found in other parts of the world. Some of the more spiritually-minded individuals like men of the cloth say that these creatures were the original rulers of Dragundaala before they were slain and scattered by the Elven Goddess before Celestine Lucullus herself.

They beheld features seen on dragons, hence their name, such as scaly skin and a draconic head. Few sported wings, usually a sign that they had reached peak adulthood where they are highly regarded as some of the most destructive monsters to plague the land and beyond.

Draco-Demons, like all other demons, were creatures that followed their primal instinct to mate with any female species that catches their fancy such as Elves and Humans. In addition to that, they also have a high resistance to magic, making magi useless a majority of times any one Draco-Demon was to be encountered.

As Catue readied her sword to strike down the beast, she took notice of its appearance. The Draco-Demon was wearing more clothes than most Draco-Demons would wear, which normally was only a loincloth or similar article of clothing. This one wore actual clothes that more or less covered up what needed to be covered up.

Deep blue leggings similar to what the Princess of Dragundaala saw Sir Taggert wearing, minus the paddings of peculiar armor, covered the beast's legs, with its' knees being protected by strange paddings. The Draco-Demon's feet were covered by steel-gray boots with four metal spikes jutting forward from each boot as if they imitated claws on the feet of Dragons and Draco-Demons which are an odd sight to Catue as Draco-Demons already have those claws on both their hands and feet, while they had a dull aquamarine glow to them. The beast's torso was clad in an equally steel-gray jacket with nothing beneath it, showing the beast's chiseled body. Pauldrons covered the beast's shoulders while metal gauntlets covered his forearms and hands much like Sir Taggert's own gauntlets, although these ones sport a dark gray color scheme with blood red highlight, and they were glowing a dull maroon color, too.

By human standards and even elven standards, the beast was tall. If standing, Catue roughly estimates that he'd be over 7 feet and a few inches but then again she did flunk in arithmetic lessons. Its draconian head sported two pitch black horns pointing backwards, as seen on other Draco-Demons who had preferred speed over brute force. The beast's scales were bright red, with a few black marks seen on the upper and lower torso as well as on the arms. Two large wings sprouted from the beast's back, unmoving like the rest of the body.

But by Draco-Demon standards, this one was actually on the short end of the spectrum. Most would reach up to 15 feet in height and only the really old ones would reach up to 75 feet in height, with the wingspan growing in direct proportion to the height of the Draco-Demon. Perhaps this one was a youngling, Catue asked in her head but she dismissed it. If she remembered, Dragon and Draco-Demon younglings didn't have any developed wings or at least wings capable of actual flight. Nor do they have massive wings right off, as younglings often have smaller wings.

In the Draco-Demon's hands Catue could see two weapons. One was a large, eight-barreled blunderbuss of advance appearances and technology (She could even see a large box attached to the bottom of it much like Sir Taggert's own advanced blunderbuss) and the other was a small (Compared to the large 'blunderbuss'), black revolver that curiously had sparks of blue lightning emitting from the barrel; perhaps an enchanted firearm rarely seen in the world? The Crown Princess of Dragundaala did not know the answer to that.

She approached with caution, sword at the ready. As she slowly got down to the downed Draco-Demon's level, Catue steeled herself for what she was going to do. Once she was a foot away from the creature, she raised her sword and plunged it into its heart.

…

…

…

Or at least that's what she had thought. Somehow, the Draco-Demon had woken up and caught the sword, passed down from generation to generation with a long history of slaying Draco-Demons and similar monsters, effortlessly without struggling. Catue's eyes widened and soon dread seeped into her core.

It was a Mexican standoff now, neither party making a move nor a sound. The silence was deafening, while Catue's mind went into overdrive and tried to find a way out of this predicament. Suddenly, the Draco-Demon spoke, its voice slightly raspy compared to the guttural tones often heard from these creatures.

"So… you gonna put the sword away, girlie? It's rude to stab sleeping pricks, y'know." Blinking, the Crown Princess of Dragundaala began to struggle more, intent on moving the blade close to the monster's heart.

"Hey, hey, easy on the gloves! I just repaired those!" The Draco-Demon complained as his grip tightened around the blade ever so slightly, preventing Catue from moving her family's blade.

"Let-let go, demon!"

"So what, so you'll stab me? Hell to the naw, girlie! I like living, thank you very much!" The Draco-Demon retorted before his foot snapped, kicking the Princess Knight away from him and her family's sword.

Standing up to his full height, the Draco-Demon looked down at the fearful Catue. He spoke once more.

"Alright, where the hell am I, girlie? And make it quick, my trigger fingers are kinda itchy."

Cygnis Flaynithere, the Guncaster, had arrived and he's none too happy about his current predicament.

* * *

-Outskirts of Feoh/At that time-

Ella, the girl that was saved from a certain, terrible fate, was not sure of what to make of her savior. She had expected many things on that night a week ago.

She expected a rookie adventurer that got lucky.

She expected one of the village's local militiamen to come save her.

She expected a knight in shining armor.

Her savior… did not meet those expectations.

Currently, he was sitting casually on a wooden chair watching the last of the bodies of the war band invaders with a smoking stick in his mouth (Although this smoking stick looked like it was made of paper from what Ella could see), idly twiddling with his silver revolving pistol that he had used to save her from those men.

He was tall, having stood over six feet and six inches before he had taken a seat to watch the latest of his handiwork. His upper body was clad in a leather jacket, dark grayish blue in color, with a grayish white shirt underneath it, with certain parts of the jacket being padded to serve as either armor or cushions against harsh impacts. Black fingerless gloves covered each of his two hands, one hand holding the revolving pistol and the other fiddling with the parts not in the manner of fixing it but in the manner of simply moving it for the sake of moving it. His lowers consisted of pants of the equal color as his jacket, padded for extra protection much like the jacket and black boots with metal linings made up his footwear.

His hair was fairly clean, styled up similarly to what Ella would see in fairly attractive young (But arrogant) nobles, although he had a shaved beard similar to what some of the older nobles had but rather than just his chin it also extended to the sides of his mouth. It was his face, however, that grabbed her attention and those of the village once the initial fighting had ended.

Various scars and wounds long healed decorated it, while an eye-patch had covered his right eye and with left one to do all the seeing. That very eye that was unnerving to some and outright terrifying to most, including Ella herself.

It had no human feel to it, as it was entirely orange and glowing, much like the eyes of a demon, if anything.

It was like glimpsing at the infernal home of demonkind, Ella thought darkly. She shivered, the action getting the attention of her savior.

"You alright, kiddo?" His voice was gruff, speaking much about the man. He was a survivor, a soldier that had gone through hell and back again many times over. Ella got out of her little funk and addressed the man.

"O-of course, Sir Striker," she said clearly.

"Oi, the name's Malcolm, kiddo, Sir Striker's my father's name."

"O-of course, Sir Striker," the girl heard the man sigh at her words, clearly annoyed at her insistence on referring to him as a member of nobility.

The man shook his head, instead swinging out the cylinder of his revolving pistol, removing the spent cartridges and loading in a fresh batch. Each batch, Ella noticed, carries eight shots before a reload had to be done. Quite the advance piece of kit, even the Halflings of Rad haven't created something as complex as this and it was just a pistol!

"Terrible sight, ain't it?" His question caused her to cease inspecting the weapon and look at the man.

"P-pardon, sir?" The man simply gestured to the funeral pyre composed of dead members of the Kuro Inu and their demon allies.

"The burning, I mean. Nasty business, I tell you," his smoking stick had now been reduced to a stump, prompting him to throw it away and grab another one from his pockets. Setting down the revolving pistol on the table to his right, he brings out a small silver box and pops the top open. Flicking a finger across one side, a beautiful flame appeared as he brought the new smoking stick's tip towards it. Once it started to smoke, the man placed it in his mouth, seemingly content of the smell of tobacco and nicotine, not that his female companion would know of the materials made for it.

"Reminds me of 'Nam," he spoke with nostalgia, clearing remembering an event in his past similar to this as Ella had noticed. His lone eye looked at her, she can tell as the center of that orange eye was a brighter and smaller orange orb that made up his pupil, and spoke.

"So what made you grab one of my Macheterangs that night to kill these pricks? I get it that they were gonna rape you, but I think you should've left it to the pros, kiddo," Ella shook her head.

"I wanted to live, for I want to find my father and drag him back home so he and mother can reconcile and we can be a family again. A whole family," she said, making the man shake his head in response.

"Yeah well, that shitty aim of yours," Ella cringed at the mention of that, remembering clearly that the deceptively heavy weight of the blade made her lose balance more than once that night when she had attacked the Kuro Inu and their demon allies, "could use a little more work, kiddo. That's coming from a guy with one eye, mind you."

"So what did you expect me to do?! Just stand by as my village gets plundered and raped?!"

"If it meant living, then hell yeah!"

"That's immoral!"

"Screw morality kid, it's survival! And you're not gonna survive long in the world with them shitty swings. Not without a mentor," the man said with a certain tone in his voice.

"Then to damnation with survival, I wanted to- Hang on," she paused, looking at the man with ever widening eyes at the prospect. "Are you saying you'll train me in your ways?"

"Your words, not mine, kiddo," the man said as he laid back, picking up his silver revolving pistol and stuffing it in its holster. "The ways of the Trailblazer are difficult, filled with harsh trials and deadly ventures. You sure you wanna go down this road?" He ask Ella, whose face was hidden slightly as she kept her head down to think it over. On the outside, her frown indicated that there was a dilemma in her mind.

But in the confines of her mind, Ella was ecstatic. This was her chance of leaving the village and searching for her father out in the world. All she needs to do is to ask this man to take her under his wing.

Getting down to her arms and knees, she asked.

"Please teach me the way, Sir Malcolm Striker!"

The man gave a small smirk, seemingly happy at her declaration even when many villagers were watching the exchange with varying reactions.

After thinking it over, he made his decision.

Look out, multiverse, for Malcolm Striker, the Trailblazer, had taken in an apprentice.

* * *

-Back at Ken/A few minutes later-

"It's not so bad," Celestine said to Hae-Lin, who was accompanying her along with Claudia Levantine and Klaus Levantine, as they were walking towards a local seamstress's building. Currently, they were passing through the marketplace which wasn't as packed as it was in the daytime, so they moved with little difficulty.

Hae-Lin pouted. "Easy for you to say! You're not the one going to be prodded at by some lunatic just so I can get a dress!"

"It's so you can look more presentable," Claudia retorted, not exactly seeing the point in the South-Korean swordswoman's words. Giving her a look, she added, "It also helps to expand your wardrobe."

"I'm fine as I look right now! Isn't that enough?" Hae-Lin shot back, not wanting to deal with this and wanting nothing more than to run back to her room and snuggle up to her human-sized pillow.

Klaus looked between the two women and held up his hands in order to placate them. "Come now, dear, Lady Hae-Lin isn't as used to this as you are," he told his wife before looking at the other woman.

"And this could be an opportunity for you to get better. I had heard that this seamstress makes outfits that also enhance one's capabilities in battle, although currently she is only catering to female customers. I heard that she is shy towards males," Hae-Lin scoffed.

"I don't need no stinking fancy dress to look good! If anything, it's Claudia and Celestine that need the wardrobe change!" She pointed at the aforementioned women loudly, grabbing the attention of everyone else in the vicinity.

"And why would we need to?" The answer to Claudia's question came in the form of Hae-Lin repeatedly poking at her stomach and breasts at a fast pace, much to her horror and the surprise of everyone else.

"You keep flaunting that figure of yours! Makes girls like me a bit self-conscious! And I hate being reminded that I'm a late bloomer!" Ceasing her assault, Hae-Lin huffed, crossed her arms, and looked away from the shocked veteran Princess Knight, grumbling about 'stupid big tits' and whatnot. Celestine, Kalus, and several others looked on in shock as well.

No one, not even her own husband, had touched her like that. For this upstart recruit to do so had forced Claudia do something she had rarely done.

Really lose her composure, as a killing intent burst forth from her. Looming over the shorter woman, Claudia began.

"You… you dare touch me, you upstart recruit?! I shall have your head for this!" As she was about to hit her on the top of the head with her armored glove, a new voice had joined in the conversation.

"Oh my gosh, Hae-Lin? Is that you?" Hae-Lin perked up at the voice and turned to face the speaker.

The person was short, much like her, standing over five feet and nine inches in height. She wore a green tank top and a pair of black shorts with a pair of combat boots for her clothing. Her stunning, red hair flowed down to the bottom of her neck, with a golden pin on the left side just above her left eye. Speaking of her eyes, they were a deep azure blue, captivating in their own right.

Recognizing who this person was, Hae-Lin immediately ran up and glomped the woman.

"Daina! Is that you?!"

"Yes, it's me, Hae-Lin," the redhead smiled at her friend's presence. Hae-Lin then asked, still surprised about the entire thing.

"Oh my gosh, how'd you end up here?" Releasing from their embrace, the now-identified Daina scratched the back of her head and gave a little giggle.

"W-well… Let's just say that I'm…" Daina mumbled the rest out, making it ineligible to Hae-Lin to hear.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Daina blushed this time, rubbing her arm and looking.

"I-I said I'm the…" Again she mumbled, making Hae-Lin a tad bit annoyed.

"You're the what?" Klaus answered in Daina's place.

"She's the seamstress that shall be making your dress," Hae-Lin looked at Klaus in disbelief and then to Daina, who simply nodded and was a bit embarrassed at the reveal.

Then, to the surprise of everyone, Hae-Lin fell to her knees, the reveal having an effect that left her in a trance.

"Oh my," Celestine turned to Claudia, who was still fuming at the woman under a trance, "can you please bring Miss Hae-Lin to the building, Claudia?"

The Dawn Templar commander seethed one last time before picking up Hae-Lin's unresponsive body and walked past Daina and Klaus, still fuming as evident in the stomp of her step.

"I don't think I've seen your wife in that mood before, Lord Levantine," Daina commented as she, Klaus, and Celestine followed Claudia. Klaus simply nodded at her words.

"I haven't seen her that mad since her 24th birthday," when the tailor girl was about to ask, he added.

"Don't ask. Less said about that day, the better," taking his word for it, Daina simply kept her mouth shut.

It appears that Daina, the Tailor Girl, has surfaced. It was only a matter of time before something big happens.

* * *

-The Goddess's Peak/The next day/08:12:43 AM Galactic Standard Time-

In a hidden cave of the revered holy ground that was called The Goddess's Peak, something was stirring. If one looked into the cave, they see various items made of metal. In fact, if one were to realize, the entire hidden cave is actually a large metal room.

And in the center of this room was a suit of armor. The suit is mostly dark green, silver, black and bronze in color, with slightly lighter legs and helmet, with its visor being a dull semi-transparent glass in the color of amber. It was no doubt advanced and alien in origin, as no known armor within this world matches with this suit of armor.

Without warning, the suit's visor lit up, the dull amber now glowing brightly before adjusting to be safer for human eyes. Slowly, the suit began to move. It was apparent that the suit itself is heavy, as it took considerable amount of time for the suit to move its own head and hands.

Then a voice came from the suit.

"_**RE-RE-RECA-CALI-CALIBRATING… PRO-PRO-PROC-PROCESS COMPLETE… VEGA ONLINE…"**_

* * *

**Betcha didn't expect that, didja?**

…

…

…

**Oh who am I kidding? So many of y'all wanted to see the Praetor Suit and here it is! And VEGA is back, too!**

**Some of you might be wondering as to why VEGA's is having a difficult time to move the suit, here is my bullshit explanation:**

**Despite being more complex than other combat armors in the UAC's armory, VEGA itself is far more complex. Because of this, if VEGA tries to move too much, it might end up causing the suit itself to lock up or, worse yet, explode. I mean VEGA is so complex that it takes an entire scientific field called Vegaphysics to understand! Not only that, but VEGA's facility in DOOM 2016 is also said to be able to overheat to temperatures higher than our own sun considering everything is powered by Argent Energy.**

**Enough about VEGA, some of you might also be wondering what the Latin names Balth'Azar was speaking in this chapter mean, so here're their translations from Latin to English:**

Mors Exitio = Doom Killer **(Alluding to the Doom Slayer A.K.A. Doomguy A.K.A. Flynn Taggert) **  
Habitaculum Araneae = Lair of Spiders **(Alluding to wherever the Spider Masterminds had come from) **  
Continentis Inferos = Hell Container **(Alluding to the Crucible, which is another word for container) **  
Typos Paganos = Symbol of Heresy **(Alluding to the Icon of Sin) **  
Nativus Idolona = Elemental Wraiths **(What'd you think, Captain Obvious?)**

**And I do hope that I have introduced the winners of the poll in decent to great ways. I stayed all night trying to write the best ways I can get them in the story without simply giving up and saying "Bullshit Hell Portals" every time I introduce people.**

**So what happened to Cygnis before he met Catue, what exactly was Malcolm doing on the outskirts of Feoh, and why is Daina only appearing now? Will the Doom Slayer ever reunite with his beloved Praetor Suit? Find out next time on Dragon Ball- GOD FUCKEN DAMMIT! THIS AIN'T THE SHOW!**

**And yes, I have seen the gameplay reveal of DOOM Eternal and I am looking forward to ripping and tearing once more, baby! In the words of 2RGames: HYPEHYPEHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYPE! From worrying fans back in the Quakecon reveal of DOOM 2016 to hyping them the fuck up with DOOM Eternal with 30 raw minutes of ultra-violence! HELL YEAH BOI!**

**Regarding the SJW controversy of DOOM Eternal as well, all I can say to them is: "You get insulted by historical accuracy, you get insulted by a couple of jokes in fiction, and you guys are even triggered by costume parties held in your universities every fucking Halloween, so what crawled up your asses and died?"**

**See you all next time!**


	6. 05: Martis visiones

**DOOM: Puer Infernalis**

**Yo, guys! I'm back with another chapter for **

DOOM: Puer Infernalis** and this time we'll be seeing more of our favorite **Doomguy** and the interactions he'll be having with the denizens of the **Kuroinu** world. We'll start this off with a dream sequence, I heard some of you guys actually like those.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

[Chapter 5:_ Martis visiones_/_Visions of Mars_]

_-The Dreamscape-_

_She was here again; she'd recognize this dark, rocky hell anywhere. Despite the last few visions, they still filled Celestine Lucullus with that certain type of dread._

_The dull brownish red rocks weren't all that jagged, yet the atmosphere around her seemed to drain the very life away from her. The winds dispersing the brownish dust around like a light sandstorm didn't help with her vision either. The yellowish sky was also another thing that wasn't helping._

"So you are here too, eh Celestine Dear?"_ She whipped her head to see none other than Olga Discordia walking up to her with the grace only a monarch who takes pride in their duties could muster. Celestine blinked as she took in Olga's entrance._

"O-Olga? H-how did you get in here?"

"I haven't the slightest idea. One moment, I was sleeping soundly in my room that you have given me, and the next I found myself here," _Olga said as she gave a shrug before the Dark Elf Queen looked around, taking in the seas of brown and red. Olga narrowed her eyes, as the entire environment reminded her of Garan after she had destroyed it to prevent the demonic hordes from defiling it._

"This reminds me of what I had done,"_ Celestine looks at her as she continued,_ "What I had done to Garan was unforgivable."_ Olga said as she faced her old friend._

"You did what you had to do, Olga. No one can fault you for it,"_ Celestine spoke kindly, as if the war between them had never resulted in horrific tragedies. It made Olga uncomfortable but she steeled herself. It was one of the things about Celestine that made her envious of her. Her uncanny ability to bring about joy was something Olga had lacked but more than made up for it with her exotic body and skin color._

"But I've caused so much death and strife!"

"You've held the monsters back as much as you could. I'd be foolish to blame you; for I would be a hypocrite should I do so."

_Before any of them can speak further, they heard footsteps heading their way. Quickly acting, the two Elven monarchs hid behind a large rock, ignoring the dust and sand being blown over them to the best of their abilities._

_Looking over, Olga saw a group of armored individuals as did Celestine. But these did not look like the armored knights under Claudia's own Dawn Templars, as their armors were rather advance in terms of appearance._

_If anything, these men reminded the two elves of Sir Flynn Taggert as his own set of armor was just as advanced as theirs, although theirs were more armored and protective than Sir Taggert's own set of armor. Perhaps these men were part of the nation that he, Sir Corzo White, and Lady Jung Hae-Lin had hailed from._

_The men had passed by them, and the two can hear them speaking._

_"Once again, doing guard work for the eggheads," one of them, wearing blue armor, spoke with his voice was distorted, the two elves noted. "I fucking swear, if one of them screws with my armor, I'm gunning them down right on the spot! I don't care what the Board of Directors says!"_

_"Easy, Willis," another one in blue chastised the now-identified Willis, "Command says that there's some increased demonic activity in the sector, so they want us to put these horny SOB's down." He finished as he held up an interesting firearm, Celestine and Olga noticed._

_Its body was light brownish green, with a long silver barrel protruding outwards._

_Willis replied in an annoyed tone, "Says you, Johnson. I ain't paid enough for this bull."_

_"Not with that attitude, you ain't getting paid shit," another one, this time clad in blood red colored armor, shot back, making Willis shoot that man a glare from behind his helmet._

_"Fuck off, Joseph!" Willis angrily snapped at the red armored soldier, Joseph._

_The group of soldiers walked off, continuing to converse with one another. Olga looked at their retreating backs and told Celestine._

"Let's follow them,"_ Celestine looked at her as if she were mad._"But if they see us-"

"Then I can deal with them with my magic,"_ as if to emphasize her point, she brought up her staff. The gemstone on the tip shone weakly before dulling out, as Olga had collapsed to her knees._

"Olga!"_ Celestine began to help Olga to her feet, noting how the Dark Elf would shudder with every inch she straightened._

"I-I'm fine, Celestine Dear. Nothing like a little mending would fix,"_ Olga assured weakly, giving a smile at her. Celestine wanted to argue, but simply chose to keep her mouth shut._

"We shall follow them, Olga, but from a safe distance. Who knows what will happen should those men see us?"_ Olga nodded as she stood up once more._

_The two elves followed the men from a respectable distance, though are unable to hear their conversation due to the howling winds straining their hearing. Minutes later, the men approached a large metal structure, with more soldiers of varying colors stationed there as non-armored personnel moved about from their positions._

_The dominant material was metal, titanium if Olga could guess, as various towers (If they can even be called that as they were rather short in comparison to more normal towers seen on Eostia and those of her ally countries) housed their marksmen. Various smaller, square buildings were arranged in neat order, perhaps housing supplies and other soldiers. The gate was automatic as the large gray doors separated at a fairly quick pace as soon as the group of soldiers had stopped in front of it. A massive dome seemed to be the means of defense apart from the towers as it had covered everything but the towers as a form of protection._

_The group of soldiers went in, followed by Olga and Celestine._

_To the surprise of the two elves, none of the soldiers took notice of the two as they followed the group into what appears to be their base. The gate behind them closed quickly as it had opened, and suddenly the atmosphere was more breathable now to the two elves._

_Suddenly, a loud roaring sound came from above them, making the soldiers quickly disperse and head to safer areas which Olga and Celestine followed._

_Looking up, the two elven monarchs were further surprised to see a metal dragon slowly descending from an opening in the dome towards the open area. The loud noises created from its non-moving wings were deafening to the elves. As it landed, the two couldn't help but take in its features._

_It was large, primarily colored black, with a thick main body and a large head although the neck was rather short, they noted. Its wings were ever straight, the only moving part would be the odd structures attaching them to the main body moving to an upright position, spouting blue flames that lessened as the large dragon descended lower towards the smooth metal platform erected from the ground. Its tail was somewhat long, stiff much like its wings with two smaller wings attached to the sides of the tip of the tail. Its sides suddenly opened as the flames ceased, revealing more soldiers although these men were clad in black armor and were likely to be escorting someone important. Elite forces, maybe?_

"Who are these people?"_ Olga muttered out loud as the new arrivals stepped off of the dragon's opened sides as the person under their care emerges. The two elves couldn't help but gasp at her appearance._

_She was sickly, shorter than them and even the tall soldiers in comparison. An odd, milky gray body suit with thin paddings consisted of her clothing, with the center between her breasts having a blood red light coming from it. She was deathly pale and thin, as if she weren't human but an undead creature. Her hair was very short, revealing that the sides of her head sported metal additions, perhaps to stabilize her fragile body._

_But it was her eyes that drew their attention. They were a steel blue color but it wasn't that that grabbed their attention._

_Despite the dullness in them, those eyes hid a dark secret and showcased a cold fury at whatever catches her gaze. Despite that, the soldiers stationed, including the ones Olga and Celestine had followed, saluted although theirs was different from Eostia's, where Eostians would salute by firmly placing their fist on their breast followed by a bow, these men saluted by bringing up a stiff hand to their forehead._

_"Welcome, back, Miss Pierce," one of them greeted but the woman, Pierce, did not reply. Looking around the base, she simply nods to her escorts, who nod back at the unspoken message. The air around them was tense; Olga and Celestine could feel it._

_Pierce and her bodyguards passed through a set of moving doors, followed by the two (Somehow) unseen elves. Passing through a second set, Olga and Celestine were met with the darkness of a large cave._

_Various metal constructs were here, they noted, providing illumination for people to see better in these dark environments. It also appears that there were a few workers down here as well, wearing similar bodysuits to Miss Pierce's but in differing colorations. The group proceeded farther down this tunnel until they came across a large set of stone doors that outright dwarfed everyone present. A group of bodysuit-clad men and women were there, studying the intricate writings carved into the faces of the doors._

_One of them, perhaps the leader of the group clad in the bodysuits, took notice and waved them over. Pierce, as did her elite guards, went over to the man._

_"Good to see you again, Olivia," the man held out a hand for a shake but Pierce simply gazed at the door, her eyes slightly shifting._

_"Were there any complications on your end, Klein?" Pierce finally spoke, her voice coarse but whether that was from her age or condition, the two elven monarchs could not tell, as she finished inspecting the large doors. The man, Klein, lowered his hand with a frown as he gestured to the doors._

_"We haven't fully deciphered the writings as of yet, Pierce, but rest assured we'll get to the bottom of this," he spoke in a confident tone. Brining up an odd metal tablet, he shows to Olivia Pierce the results of his findings. Various images were shown in brisk paces, each depicting the different parts of the large stone doors and their writings. Celestine and Olga couldn't help but be amazed at the level of technology._

_Pierce looked it all over and asked, "Have you finished cataloguing them, Klein?" The man simply nodded as an answer._

_"Good," she turns to the elite guards. "Get a few detonation charges and get that door open," her words made Klein and the group look at her like she were mad, shocked at her words._

_"Miss Pierce, please reconsider!"_

_"I have already made my decision, Doctor Klein. You and your group have stared at the door long enough," Pierce gazes at the doors, but her eyes seem to see right through it._

_"It's time we saw what exactly Mars is hiding from us."_

_For the past few minutes, the group (Along with Celestine and Olga) were watching the elite guards plant odd black blocks with red wires lining certain parts of each block and attaching them to other blocks in the process._

_Once the men were finished, the apparent leader of the elite guards handed a strange rectangular device to Pierce who, without a second thought, pressed down on the trigger on the side of the device._

_The next sound the two elven monarchs heard was a loud, thundering roar that shook the ground that they were on and rang their eardrums greatly. Such absolute power! The explosions had caused a massive cloud of dust to fan out in several directions as the large set of stone doors had been forced open. The explosions had an effect on the others as well, as the bodysuit-clad group covered their ears and closed their eyes as the blocks exploded._

_Once the dust had cleared, they could see clearly what lied behind those doors. And its very presence alone sent strong shivers down the spines of Celestine and Olga._

_A stone sarcophagus laid ahead of them, smack dab at the center of the room. Upright, it sported various markings that gave off a dull red glow. They weren't certain of it, but their ears picked up on the distortions of the wind. The distortions sounded like whisperings, the whisperings of the dead._

_"I-Incredible," Klein could only muster as the sight of it all left him and many others speechless._

_However, the woman, Pierce, seemed to not mind or ignore the voices as she walked into the large chamber and headed straight for the sarcophagus. She was ignorant of the whisperings that were getting stronger in her ears. She wanted the sarcophagus, and what lied inside of it, no matter the cost._

_As Celestine was about to move in and intercept, Olga had held out a hand to obstruct her path._

"Olga?"_ The Dark Elf Queen of the Jagged Crown did not reply for a brief moment, as if she was contemplating on what to say next._

_As Pierce stopped in front of the stone container, she reached out with one hand and ran it across the smooth surface._

_She immediately felt it. The red markings sparked against her touch, making her defensively pull back her hand to inspect the damage done. Despite the brief contact, it was enough to nearly reduce her fingers to char. Pierce gave a solemn nod and turned to the rest._

_"Get this… find into my lab as soon as possible. I wish to inspect it in more… suitable conditions," reluctantly, the bodysuit-clad group nodded while Pierce's elite guards saluted at the executive member's orders._

_What happened next was a literal blur for Olga and Celestine as the workers and the soldiers carefully loaded the sarcophagus into a gray horseless carriage that soon drove off, as the two elves found themselves in the same place as the sarcophagus, the damning thing standing upright no matter the bumpy road. Any other time, the two would've marveled at the level of technology seen at the moment._

_However, the current moment prevented such thoughts or actions to happen from the two elven monarchs._

_As the horseless carriage drove through the desolate wastes, Celestine took the time to look outside. What she saw made her eyes widen as she dashed over to Olga and rapidly tapped her. The Dark Elf queen blinked at her counterpart's actions._

"What in Serenus are you doing, Celestine?"_ Celestine continued but this time she spoke up._"Olga! Olga! Look outside!"_ Confused, Olga did what she was requested/told and only then did her eyes widen._

_The cluster of metal structures was massive, dwarfing the entire country of Eostia easily. A quick glance at the strange moving sign read _**Mars City – R&D Section**. _Olga and Celestine couldn't help but marvel the sheer size of each structure, with various people walking about to do various tasks too odd for the elves to understand._

_It all blurred once more and soon, the two elves found themselves in a fully metal room. The elves blinked at the sudden transition and took in their new surroundings. If they could describe it, it would be as an alchemist's heavenly dream come to life. Various gadgets were standing atop of metal cupboards or tables and various pieces of machinery helped them stay firm. The two elves saw the sarcophagus again, this time it was lying flat as multiple bodysuit-clad individuals began to carefully remove the apparent lid of the sarcophagus from the rest of it. The woman Pierce was once again seen, her eyes never leaving the container. As soon as the lid was lifted about an inch from the sarcophagus, something happened._

_Red waves of energy shot out, knocking down the workers and striking various objects. Pierce herself was flung backwards and landed against the wall, the woman making no sound at all but the elves could tell that she felt the impact hard._

_The red waves ceased and the lid was thrown away into the far corner of the room, crushing whatever tools and materials lied on that very spot. In painful manners, the workers got up and steadied themselves, the red waves knocking their senses… well, senseless._

_Pierce was unbothered by this, even as two workers helped her stand. She shooed them off a second after she had steadied her foothold. She, along with everyone else (Including Olga and Celestine), took a look at what lied inside of the sarcophagus._

_Giving a glance at her counterpart, Olga would've laughed at how red Celestine's face was glowing. If she herself wasn't doing the same thing, that is._

_Lying within the confines of the sarcophagus was a large, well-built man. Hard, taunt muscles were everywhere they looked, not a sight of fat of sag anywhere at all no matter how hard they tried. The man was large, they noted. If standing, he'd dwarf them all, the elves reckoned. The skin wasn't without flaws, however, as various scars decorated it no matter where they'd look. From slash marks to burn marks, this man had accumulated quite the impressive collection of scars to the point it was disgusting to look at._

_Their eyes wandered downwards of the man's body._

"OH!"

"My, oh my…"

_Their blushes went skyrocketing. Celestine, being one with a sense of decency, opted to look away and cover her face, the sight no doubt burned into her memory for all eternity. Olga herself had to slap herself in order to get her to look away from the man's groin and elsewhere, _anywhere.

"Well,"_ Olga coughed as she glanced at the still troubled Celestine,_ "I don't think we'll be forgetting that sight any time soon."_ The High Elf chose not to speak her agreement to the Dark Elf and simply nodded from behind her hands. Olga looked back at the man, this time focusing on his face. She gasped, catching Celestine's attention._

"Olga, what is the matter?"_ Olga didn't reply and simply pointed at the man's face, the Dark Elf's eyes wide. The High Elf looked to where she had pointed, mindful of not looking at the groin, and her eyes widened as well._

_It was none other than the Gore Knight, Flynn Taggert. He peacefully lied within the sarcophagus; naked as the day he was born and unaware of the audience watching him as he hibernated within his container._

_"Interesting," Pierce spoke up and turned away, the sight bothering her not. She was about to make her way towards the glass door (The sight alone impressing Celestine and Olga at how it was made) when she and the others heard footsteps._

_Metallic footsteps._

_Pierce knew whose feet they belonged to. The workers did as well, tensing as they did. The only ones confused are Olga and Celestine, who eyed the door curiously. The glass door slid to the right in a quick manner as something went past it. The very sight of the creature made the two elves step back in surprise and fear._

_It was tall, at 3 meters/9 feet 9 inches, with a slim body primarily colored in white. Three fingers and a thumb were the digits of each hand, which would clench and unclench in an experimenting manner. A single slit in its head functioned as the apparent 'eye' of the creature, as a blue light would go up and down as if inspecting the room it was in._

_Once it laid eyes on Pierce and then the sarcophagus, the creature gave a distorted sigh._

_**"I was wondering where I'd find the sarcophagus,"**__ it spoke in an equally distorted voice as it turned to face Pierce. The creature seemed to glare at the woman as she had done the same. Pierce spoke with disdain.  
___  
"Is there something you need, Hayden? Perhaps you'd want me to grab some more neuro-preserving agents once more for that diseased brain of yours?" The creature, Hayden, simply chose to ignore her obvious jab. His eye settled once more on the sarcophagus, noting the amount of energy still flowing from it. Turning his attention back to Pierce, Hayden simply replied.

_ **"I'm afraid that won't be necessary, Olivia,"** _ _ the creature's distorted but clearly male voice seemed to irk the fragile woman. Olga and Celestine could only watch this tense exchange between apparent coworkers. Pierce clicked her tongue as she slowly walked up to the creature._

_"This find stays here, Hayden. My team had found it first, as such we are keeping it here," the woman spoke fiercely towards the metal creature, which simply shook its head in what appears to be of annoyance._

_But constructs such as it couldn't have emotions, could they?_

_ **"On the contrary, Olivia,"** _ _ the creature spoke distortedly again, _ _ **"my team was the one who had found this find first."** _

_"And yet you never so bothered to open the doors? Quite narrow-sighted of you, Hayden," to Pierce's surprise, the metal construct Hayden simply gave a distorted chuckle._

_ **"What makes you so certain we never opened it in the first place? From the most recent reports, the team under my supervision was just finishing up with examining the scriptures on the doors when you and your team came in. Doctor Klein and his entourage were the last ones to inspect it before your arrival," ** _ _if it had a mouth, Hayden would have been smirking at Pierce's expression. The frail woman in the bodysuit managed to give Hayden a feral snarl that Celestine and Olga were sure she couldn't do so._

_"This find is mine, Hayden! It's in my lab and is under my supervision now!"_

_ **"Given your current… mannerisms, having this find under your complete control would result in disaster. Not to mention the amount of funding the Board would take from us,"** _ _ Hayden chastised, his (the two elves decided it was a he judging from the voice, distorted may it be) apparent stance unwavering. Pierce strutted up to Hayden and pointed a frail finger at the metal construct._

_"If you so think that you can just take this, then you are sorely mistaken, Hayden," she spoke with animosity, although the person addressed barely reacted to her if at all he did._

_ **"On that front, you are speaking sense, Olivia,"** _ _ Hayden replied as he crossed his metal arms over his chest. _ _ **"But I will be making some… changes to your laboratory."** _

_"And what exactly is that, Hayden?" The metal construct did not reply. Instead it simply pulled out a weird, stick-like rod from nowhere as it appeared in his hands in a flash of blue squares, much like how Sir Taggert would pull out his weaponry. Gripping it in both hands, Hayden then reveals that the rod can split into two vertically, with a blue glass-like substance filling the gap between them as multiple symbols flashed through it. Pressing the 'glass' with his metal fingers, Hayden's peculiar device made beeping noises too low for most beings to hear as various portraits of people flashed through the glass._

_ **"Your team will working with another team that answers directly to me and the Board of Directors. I do hope that you will behave, Olivia,"** _ _ Hayden spoke in a straight tone, but the two elves could tell that there was a condescending tone in his words._

_ **"We wouldn't want a repeat of the incident in the Delta Labs now, would we?"** _ _ Looking over to Pierce's group, Hayden could see that none of them spoke out in any manner. If anything, they were more afraid of their boss rather than the metal construct talking their boss down. Hayden made a sound akin to a hum as he spoke once more._

_ **"As I'd thought,"** _ _ he swiveled to face the glass doors and began making his way out. Once he had left and the glass doors have closed completely, silence fell over the room. Pierce glowered at the glass doors before it settled down, the frail woman in the advance bodysuit turned to face the sarcophagus. Heading towards it, Pierce ran both her hands across the surface, feeling the red waves of energy pulsating beneath._

_"No, Hayden," she snarled, her gaze turning into a harsh glare at the slumbering body of Sir Flynn Taggert. "We do not," she spoke as the others around her grow uncomfortable at her behavior._

_Soon, the entire scene began to fade as the two elven monarchs were transported to a place Celestine had grown accustomed to in her dreams._

_The canyons of this odd dream-world, however there are a few things different compared to the last time Celestine was here. Olga looked around, taking in the various details of their newfound location._

"Interesting,"_ she mused as she faced the new additions in the area. _"It's as if we are in some sort of… centre in this world."_ Celestine looked at Olga and tilted her head in response._"A centre, Olga?"_ Stopping a moment to think, Celestine could see the accuracy in her counterpart's observations. The Dark Elf Queen nodded at that before taking notice of some certain objects that had stood out from the otherwise brown landscape._"I am under the notion that those were not there, Celestine?"_ The Goddess Reborn nodded as they saw the many objects now arranged across the canyon._

_On one display were bits and pieces of armor were set, each of them in varying states of damage. The pieces were most likely scraps from previous fights. However, it looks like the main portion of the armor meant for the torso was intact, relatively speaking._

_Dented it was, as if something had smashed against it with a great amount of force. Various holes decorated the armor as well, reminding the two elven monarchs of the holes left in the wake of the weaponry of Sirs Taggert and White and of Miss Hae-Lin. Had the three been enemies prior to arriving here? The two didn't know._

_The armor's color was green like the lush grasslands the two fondly remember. Emblazoned on the upper left breast area was a small plaque of sorts. On the plaque were letters of human make, reading out "_ **CPL, Taggert, F.** _" for all to see._

"See-Pee-El, Taggert, Eff,"_ Olga read aloud, tracing each letter with one finger. Celestine saw that the helmet of the armor was in the worst condition in comparison._

_It was gray, much like Sir Taggert's own, but darkened and battered from whatever did this. The blue glass-like visor in them weren't shining blue like Sir Taggert's; rather they were dulled out and shattered, giving the elf a peek of the empty space inside. There were letters and numbers plastered on the left side of the helmet. _ _"_ **D666-Y1993** _" it read._

'What is this doing here?'_ Celestine thought as she inspected the helmet further. Her fingers traced the groves along the helmet, wincing at how heated and sharp they were._

_That's when a searing pain started attacking her head, causing her to scream out in pain and drop the battered helmet in the process._

"Celestine!"_ Olga rushed towards her and grabbed the elven goddess by the shoulders. Before she could ask what exactly caused her to scream, the entire environment started to shift again, the canyons transforming into another metal room. This room looked like it was a general's own office, Olga noted, given the various medals on display. The dark elf took notice of two newcomers in their vicinity._

_One man was seated behind his desk, dressed in a clean dark-green suit. The man's suit sported quite the array of medals on his right breast area, signifying that he was someone important within his nation's army. The man's face was old, with a strong jaw and a few wrinkles signifying his age. The man sported graying hair, neatly cut in an orderly manner, and sharp blue eyes despite his physical age. It was apparent that this man was a general of an army, perhaps the same one employing the armored soldiers in the vision prior._

_The man was busy arranging a small pile of documents before addressing the other person in the room._

_"You seem stressed," his voice was fitting of him, strong and with a commanding aura. The man shuffled the documents before putting them aside. "Could it be perhaps of the mission before, Corporal Taggert?" The two elves whipped their heads to see the person that this general was addressing and saw that it was indeed Sir Flynn Taggert, or Corporal Taggert as the man seated implied, standing in front of the sole wooden door of this room._

_Celestine and Olga then noticed the differences between the Sir Taggert they know of and the Sir Taggert they are seeing now._

_This version of Sir Taggert wore a simpler version of the armor that they have seen. His upper clothing consisted of a dark green chest-plate, worn over a black tight-fitting shirt, along with gray elbow pads and gauntlets. His lower clothing consisted of dark green pants of some sort with gray paddings and boots. The helmet of this Sir Taggert was different as well with a more squared design compared to the sleeker version of the current helmet and a gray visor rather than the chilling ice-blue color of his current one._

_Corporal Taggert slammed his fist into the wall to his side, causing Celestine to let out a quick _"Eep!"_ in response as she jumped at the action. None of the two males noticed however, as Corporal Taggert slowly approached the general, anger flowing from each step taken._

_"It was supposed to be a simple escort!" He roared out, yet the man before him showed no fear. Either that or he hid it well, Olga mused._

_"And it was, Corporal. I fail to see the point of your current mannerisms," the general spoke calmly. Corporal Taggert scoffed in response._

_"Oh really, then I suppose _simple_ for you involved escorting a member of the British Royal Family who, mind you, is still under flak from just about everyone back home?!" He gave his side of the argument, his apparent anger not subsiding in the slightest._

_"Given your skillset," the general spoke, "it would be a walk in the park for you. And from the glowing reports, it was." The general finished in a tone that Celestine couldn't put a finger on but Olga did with recognition and not the good kind._

_It was the same tone she would use on some of her more stubborn subjects that if they continue whatever unwelcome behavior, drastic actions were to be taken._

_"Tell that to Ackermann! Summers! Briggs! Everyone else on that goddamned mission!"_

_"I am well aware of that, Corporal," the general began. "Why else would you think I personally went to the medical wards myself?" One of his hands went up, objects of sorts gingerly held in the palm. Both Celestine and Olga take a look at the objects in the general's hand._

_Each one was a small, red, square figure, rather thin with short golden strips running across its sides. A smaller square was on top of it, the color of it being black and it was slightly thicker than the red square it was atop of. Various lines decorated both squares, red glowing lights running through them slowly. There were a few of these in his palm, stacked atop one another._

_It appeared that Sir Taggert had recognized them, as his fist slammed into the general's desk._

_"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO, YOU BASTARD?!" Despite the large, angry soldier in front of him, the general simply kept a straight face._

_"What I had to do, Corporal, and if you keep that up, I will have a security detail escort you out." The general slowly closed his hand as he placed the strange object away from all eyes present. "Trust me, you'll thank me later," he finished as the soldier glared daggers at him._

_"Thanking you? THANKING YOU?!" Corporal Taggert raised his fist to strike at the general, but the seated man was quicker. In the blink of an eye, the general's other hand pressed on a button of sorts on a wand-like object that caused Corporal Taggert to freeze up, much to the shock of the two elves present._

_Taggert began to growl at the sudden change of pace, struggling to even move an inch as if he was frozen in place._

_"W-what the h-he-hell?!" Taggert managed to speak as the general stood up and walked around his desk to get a closer look._

_"Corporal Taggert," the general started in a calm voice as he placed a hand on Corporal Taggert's own raised fist and, after ensuring a firm grip, forced it back to his side. "Normally I'd have you detained, but given that your emotions are running rather high today, I'd rather have you simmer down somewhere I know you'd like." As if it was on cue, the wooden door was opened to reveal two soldiers looking similar to Sir Taggert but with varying skin tones and builds coming in and beginning to restrain the already-frozen soldier._

_"As such, I'll have you detained in the same medical wards that your team is currently recuperating at," the general's calm face broke into a slight smile as he patted the soldier on his shoulder. "Oh don't be so surprised," he continued, "I may be a hard bastard, but I'm not some no-good politician that'll throw away their mooks." He nods to the two soldiers that had entered the room._

_"Escort Corporal Taggert to the medical ward, he is to be detained there for the time being." The two soldiers saluted the general and began to move the still-frozen Taggert out of the room and out of the two elves' sight._

_The general walked back to his desk and took his seat once more. It was only now that the two elves saw a nameplate on the general's desk.  
_

**"Gen. Hayden, S., Four-Star, O-10"** _ was what it read on the plaque. Olga made a slight noise in her throat, making Celestine look at her._

"Olga, what is the matter?"_ The dark elf queen turned her head to face her counterpart. She simply pointed at the now unmoving general._

"That man over there, he shares the same name as that Hayden creature in the last vision."_ Focusing her eyesight at the nameplate, Celestine too made a noise in her throat._

"But… that does not make any sense, Olga. Unless they are differing entities, then…"_ the high elf and Goddess Reborn trailed off as she analyzed the appearance of the general and tried to find some parallel of sorts to the metal creature from before._

_Olga, on the other hand, analyzed the room and compared it to the previous locations they had been. This metallic room felt… _older_ if the Queen of the Jagged Crown could describe it as such compared to the other metallic rooms they had previously been inside of._

"Perhaps what we are seeing are glimpses of Sir Taggert's past,"_ Olga spoke in a firm tone. Her counterpart turned to her, her head tilted to the side._

"His… past?"_ Olga nodded as she gazed upon the room. The dark elf hummed before making her response._

"Yes, his past. What we are seeing right now could just be the beginning of how Sir Taggert came to be."_ Olga said in a confident tone, a tone that Celestine hadn't heard in a long time._

_Suddenly, everything began to blur once more before the two elven monarchs found themselves back in the dusty brown canyons once again._

_The two of them could see that the suit of armor that once belonged to Sir Taggert was back in its place, on a stony pedestal to be displayed for all to see. The two elven monarchs also took notice of a glowing object in the center of the canyons. It was globe-like in shape, glowing blood red by the edges and a familiar symbol firmly plastered across its center._

_Where Celestine thought of it an anchor of sorts, Olga thought of it a sword plunging downwards. All things considered, both monarchs knew to whom this symbol, or mark as it would be more appropriate to call, belonged to._

_Sir Flynn Taggert._

_The two monarchs slowly approached the glowing orb. For reasons beyond their own comprehension, the two of them were drawn to the mark emblazoned on the orb. With each step closer, everything else became hazy including their sense of hearing. As one, the two elven monarchs placed their hands on the symbol._

_As soon as they placed their hands on it, their visions went completely white.  
_

* * *

-Ken; Training Grounds/11:45:04 AM; SGT/Two Days Later-

The latest recruit fell flat on his back, the stone floor and the force of the man knocking him on his back sending a painful sound to reverberate around the training grounds. All within the yards winced at the sound, except for one. That person cracked his knuckles, the sound causing the others to bring their attention towards him.

Sir Flynn Taggert approached the fallen recruit and looked down upon him, his large size and choice of outfit making for an intimidating profile.

"Get up," he said in a commanding tone, the recruit beneath him flinching at the sound. Try as he might, the recruit simply fell onto his back once again. The Marine clicked his tongue in annoyance. He shifts his sight to the other recruits, who were watching the spectacle, each of them feeling smaller whenever the marine's eyes would land on them.

"Unbelievable," he made his voice loud and clear, "I'm starting to see why the Seven Shields hired mercenaries now given how shit each of you are." Each of them said nothing as the marine said those words.

Nearby, observing the marine was Claudia Levantine. The Princess Knight, dressed a bit more conservatively at the request of her husband, narrowed her eyes at the harsh treatment the soldiers of Ken were receiving under Sir Flynn Taggert's methods of training. If one could even label this harsh treatment as training, anyways. He had been teaching, Claudia used that term loosely here, them a method of melee combat that involves the use of one's own limbs. Safe to say, none of the soldiers or the recruits can effectively use the techniques demonstrated by the large-bodied marine. Even the veterans were no match, the marine quickly exploiting the big weaknesses of all these soldiers.

They were too slow, relied too much on their own weaponry, and weren't as reactive as the marine had hoped.

That was a few hours ago and after some advice from Klaus and the still recovering soldiers, the marine had settled for less intense melee combat with the new soldiers.

Currently, Flynn Taggert was clad in his pants, boots, and shirt, revealing the battle-scarred flesh for all to see. Pieces of his armor lay in a neatly organized pile near where Klaus and Claudia were watching the training session. Even so, the Marine had proven to be a dreadful foe to encounter on the battlefield with his strength, speed, and adaptability.

"When your opponent strikes with their left, you either block with your right or you dodge the blow," the Marine instructed to the recruits. Even with those words being advised, the Marine had figuratively and literally mopped the floor with them.

Not even Claudia was this hard on her recruits. She'd treat them well enough that they can still stand and hold a sword by the end of the day…

Sir Taggert, on the other hand, treated them less like equals and more like personal punching bags.

"Alright, that's enough for today," the recruits withheld any sounds of cheer as the harsh training for the day had come to an end. Wearily, the recruits made their way to the exit of the courtyard.

When the last one had finally left, Sir Taggert gave a guttural growl. Too slow, by now Vult and his Kuro Inu may have conquered whatever lands are left in the north. His eyes moved to where Claudia and Klaus were watching the entire session. He could see their reactions.

They both seemed appalled at his methods. It doesn't matter to him. He didn't come here to train over-glorified guards, he had come here to train soldiers; real soldiers, as in the ones that can see the mission to the bitter end.

Even at the cost of their lives.

He had done that, back on Phobos. He had succeeded in defeating the two demonic commanders stationed there. But it had come at the cost of his life.

He didn't anticipate getting ambushed. That was a mistake he won't make again.

He can tell that most of the new recruits would quit. He couldn't care about that. That just means quality over quantity shall be the mentality in training the remainder.

But underneath that expression of hers, the Marine could see that Dawn Templar leader was intrigued in the movements of his unarmed fighting style. The two got up from where they were seated and began to approach him.

"I take it you were appalled by my methods?" Taggert spoke, arms crossed as the two came up to him.

"Appalled would be an understatement, Sir Taggert," Claudia replied as she strained her neck to look at him in the eyes with mixed emotions.

"Yes," Klaus coughed into his hand, "a rather… mortifying scene to come across. Was that really necessary to toss that one guardsman into his peers?"

Flynn Taggert simply shrugged in response. He went over to pick up his armor and helmet, placing them on in record time.

"I see something capable of being used as a projectile, I use it. There's no sense in not using everything in your disposal after all," he tapped his head. "My old mentor once said that the mind is the most powerful weapon ever devised; combine that with some quick thinking, and victory is assured."

"Even if they are dishonorable tactics like yours?" Claudia questioned as her eyes narrowed.

"In a real fight," the Marine retorted, "there's only two absolutes to follow: survival and death." He finished off with a light grunt before making his way back into the White Fortress.

Along the way, the Marine couldn't help but notice that the citizens would go out of their way to keep his immediate path clear. They didn't show it, but they were afraid.

They were afraid of him.

He paid them no heed and simply continued on his way when he had collided with someone. The person yelped and he simply grunted as the person fell onto their rear while he simply stopped moving and looked at the person that he collided with.

It was Zan, the blue-skinned Half-Orc that was under Olga's employ. He hasn't seen much of her during this new war against the Kuro Inu. He had heard that she was aiding Ryuu-Ryuu and the other Halflings of Rad create more of her own weaponry, seeing as how some of them are easy to manufacture.

"Zan," he greeted and held out a hand for her to grab. She grabbed it and hoisted herself up.

"Sir Taggert," she greeted back as she got up. She took note of the direction he had come from.

"I take it you were training the new recruits?" A nod was her answer, with Sir Taggert gesturing her to follow him. She complied, seeing as how he was her superior here.

"And you're replicating your weapons for the Seven Shields?" She nodded, walking behind the large human rather than beside him.

"We've just finished ten models of the Nail-Rifle for testing purposes. As it is," she sighed, "it appears that there are some complications. Mainly, they involve key components of the mechanism." The Marine nodded in understanding.

"Let me guess," he spoke, "they lacked a pressurized air system to propel each nail?" Zan nodded in confirmation.

"I just don't get it," she said. "I've studied how my Nail-Rifle worked in my spare time, I'm certain that the materials are correct."

"Really now? You sure that you know exactly how those canisters work?" His question made Zan pause for a moment.

"Um…" she trailed off, scratching her cheek, "I didn't want to break something like that open."

The Marine didn't say anything, simply walking beside Zan as the two reached the gates of the White Fortress.

"Tell you what," he began as soon as the two were cleared to pass through, "you come visit me in the forgery and we'll see what makes that thing tick." She blinked once, then twice, before looking towards Flynn for clarification.

"My helmet," he tapped the side of it with the strange protrusion, "can scan anything and give me the base components. Didn't really see much use in it until now," he finished with a grumble.

"And why is that?" By now, the two are walking up the steps leading to the massive doors of the White Fortress, the Marine taking lead and opening one of them slightly.

"For one, prior to arriving here on Eostia, my unit and other units in my nation's military were supplied with standard issue equipment; every rifle, every handgun, every blade, every set of protective gear, each one of them made by manufacturing companies." He explained as they walked through the slightly opened door.

"We never really bothered to look into what makes up our gear, given how they were commonplace in our nation," he continued. He clenched his fist, although it was out of annoyance rather than actual anger. "Now I'm stuck here trying to figure out how the hell can I replicate each weapon of mine. Not much success on that front," he grumbled.

"I am under the assumption that your weaponry is more complex to recreate?" When he turned his head towards her, she shrugged. "I tend to analyze what my allies and enemies are carrying. It helps cool my nerves." He simply nodded in understanding before the two of them stopped before the doors of the war council.

The war council for the Seven Shields Alliance was what Taggert would like to call the _"Shouting Match Room"_, given that many seated in the war council tend to get into shouting matches on which tactics are to be used, which lands are more important over the others, et cetera. There were a few cool heads within the war council but far and in between. Walking through the doors, the two could see that there were a few people within the war council room right now.

The entire room is circular in structure, and was large enough to hold at least fifty people. Seven different banners encircled the room, each of them proudly displaying the sigils of each Shield Kingdom.

There was the sigil of Feoh, represented by a shield with a sword going through it from the top.

The sigil of Rad was represented by a large battle axe crossing with a war hammer.

Thorn's sigil was that of a pair of koi fish positioned in a similar manner as the Yin & Yang symbols.

Ansur had their sigil be in the form a skull with a multitude of weapons sticking out of it in a circular manner.

Ur had the sigil of a tome with a wand beside of it.

Geofu had their sigil be the form of an elven couple.

And lastly, Ken's sigil was the wreath of leaves of the Goddess Reborn, the very same one that was on her head most of the time she was out in public.

Currently, only Claudia and Celestine were in Ken as of today, so only their own personal counsels and retainers were present. Amongst them was one person that the Marine didn't see eye to eye with, Archbishop Grishom.

The Archbishop was the head of the primary religion in Eostia, the Church of the Goddess Serena. He was supposedly the holiest person in all Eostia, second only to Celestine herself being the Goddess Reborn and all that jazz. Unfortunately, the old saying _"With age comes wisdom"_ does not apply to this man. The man was shallow and close-minded, preferring the religious side of any and every argument rather than the practical and logical side. If the rumors were to be believed, then Grishom and those close to him within the Church are responsible for the halt of technological advances past simple muzzle-loading firearms. Magic, on the other hand, was slowly advancing but not making much of a difference either.

The Marine was immediately subject to harassment every time the two were to be in the same area of one another. It was a miracle that the Marine's own patience lasted this long to begin with. Ever since he had ended the previous war and had brought Olga Discordia to the very heart of the Seven Shields, the Archbishop has personally seen to it that the dreaded Gore Knight is to be demonized in public. The sectors of each Shield Kingdom that were highly devoted to the Church ate up these words without a second thought. Far too engrossed were they in their religion that they are blinded to the current conflict happening.

The Archbishop was rather frail in his build, standing a mere 5'9"/175.26 cm compared to the Marine's own height of 7'4"/223.52 cm. The robes he wore were that fitting of someone his rank: white to resemble the 'purity' of the man wearing it, with golden symbols and decorations to resemble the 'humility' within him. The cap on him was also in the same color scheme with the same gaudy golden symbols decorating it. His hair was graying and short, with his beard going past his own chest. His eyes were blue, cold despite all the years taking their toll on his body. Any exposed skin, like his face, showed clear wrinkles signifying his old age.

Currently, the Archbishop was giving a not-so-subtle glare at the Marine, who simply returned the gesture with a harsh glare of his own from behind his ice-cold blue visor. He had no time for this. Apart from Grishom, the others within the war council took notice of the Marine and of Zan.

"Ah! Sir Taggert and Lady Zan have arrived," one of them, Claudia's retainer judging by her Dawn Templar insignia emblazoned on her dress's corset, walked towards the two and led them to where they are to be seated for this meeting.

Within a few minutes, Celestine and Olga walked through the doors in near perfect sync with Chloe and Claudia following close behind. Their arrival gave an air of authority over everyone within the war council room.

Except for the Marine.

The two currently sat on their designated spots, the highest within the war council. Once they were seated, the meeting was officially started.

"Gentlemen and Ladies of the War Council, good day," the people present greeted them back verbally, while the Marine simply gave a nod to them.

"This meeting is officially underway," Claudia spoke in a tone that spoke of authority. "We are gathered here today to discuss further on how to deal with our enemies, the Kuro Inu," no sooner did those words leave the Dawn Templar's lips, others within the war council scowled their disdain.

"Those traitorous heretics shall fall, no doubt of that," one of those near the Marine, Sir Mikhail Pantielle, spoke up. "If I may, your Grace," he began, "I can mobilize those under my command to begin fortifying whatever villages that are vulnerable as to prevent these rabid dogs," the Marine chuckled internally at that, "any form of ground should they approach our capital." He finished his piece with a firm tone. The others began to consider those words, especially the ones who were well versed in military tactics.

Then of course, enter the idiotic nutjobs. The ones who were more concerned about their own reputations and lands than of actual warfare. "And what of us?" A nobleman, whose name the Marine could care less for, spoke up in challenge to what Mikhail was proposing. "Who exactly would defend _us_ when these horrid dogs breach through the walls?" The Marine grumbled before speaking up.

"You're rich, aren't you?" Everyone blinked at his words. "Then you wouldn't have a problem with this. You can pay for some good guards to protect you little shits if you're so concerned," the Archbishop saw this as an opportunity to butt in.

"Oh? And how do more sell-swords solve this problem, _Gore Knight_?" Rolling his shoulder, the Marine replied.

"Who said sell-swords? Maybe you should spend less money on unnecessary bullshit and more on actually progressing your nation's ways," the Archbishop narrowed his eyes.

"Are you saying that we stray from the Light that the Goddess Serena has shone onto these lands for nearly two millennia?"

"If you've been in this light, then I can see why it's fading," the Marine growled his response. Many within the war council stiffened. The Archbishop sputtered.

"H-how dare you?! To assume that the Light is fading is heresy!" The Marine simply shrugged before leaning back into his seat.

"Enough. Now isn't the time for arguing like a bunch of babes," Olga spoke up, prompting the Archbishop to hold his tongue and the Marine to simply roll his eyes from behind his visor. "There are many strategic areas that are still neutral so to speak. If we can get to those areas before the Kuro Inu does, then it's a step closer to victory, don't you agree?"

"The Dark Elf witch speaks true," a noblewoman muttered under her breath. "Yes, there are still areas that haven't been controlled by these dogs just yet, but they are not in our grasp either. Currently, some of our forces are heading towards a selected few of these points as we speak."

"Only a few?" The noblewoman nodded.

"Unfortunately, our forces are spread out thin and the new training regimes," everyone looked towards the Marine as the noblewoman spoke of this, who simply gave a 'thumbs up' in response, "are draining the energy of our new recruits."

"It seems like our Gore Knight," the Archbishop spoke with clear venom, "intends to cripple our military strength by having them stray from the Light!"

"It keeps them on their toes. Besides," the Marine leaned forward, "I'm shaping these boys up for the coming war." He turned to one of the more level-headed members within the war council. A logistician, he remembered.

"How are our supply lines?"

"If there are no complications, it would take a week at most for the supply caravans to reach each of our forces given how near, relatively speaking, these strategic key points are to begin with." The Marine nodded.

"And of the new weapons Rad's been pumping out?" This question drew confused looks from most of those within the war council.

"What new weapons?" At that, the Marine instantly began to look at each and every one present.

"The new gear currently being developed by the Halflings over at Rad. Has there been any complications or any progress made?" At this, the Archbishop gave a condescending smirk.

Oh… that no good little-!

The Marine had to restrain himself from throttling that arrogant prick then and there. No use making a bloody mess, especially in here of all places.

"We're currently fielding the repeating handheld ballistae to some specialized troops," Zan spoke up, grabbing their attention. Pulling out her own repeating handheld ballista, she elaborated further.

"It won't be as large or as heavy as mine, however. They are lighter and shoot smaller but faster crossbow bolts instead," she spoke as she held up the weapon in one hand and rotated it so the others could see what it looks like. The Archbishop scowled as she did this.

"Of course, we equip our fine soldiers with the weapons of demons," he sneered. "This holds no honor, your Grace!" He exclaimed to Celestine.

"I don't see you giving any ideas," the Marine coldly spoke up. The Archbishop scowled at him in response.

"I don't need to, for the Goddess's Light shines upon me!"

"That makes it even worse; you rely too much on some sky mommy to do shit," his remark sent an uproar heading his way.

"Goddessless heretic!"

"May Serena damn you for that!"

"Repent those words, sinner!"

The Marine's eye twitched before grabbing something from subspace and pointing it towards the ceiling. The M500 revolver gave off a thundering boom that silenced everyone present. The .500-Magnum round went straight through the ceiling, making a hole the size of a coin but leaving a lasting impression on everyone present.

"I don't know about you people," he slowly spoke, noting that their hearing was muffled from the massive report of the revolver in his hand, "but last I heard, religion wasn't too helpful."

It took a while, but everyone's hearing went back to normal. The more faithful ones of the war council would have spoken up again, but a stern look from Lady Celestine and the twirling of the small, silver contraption within the Gore Knight's hand discouraged them from doing so.

"This right here," he held up the large-framed revolver for them to see, "is a testament to the advancements of technology back in my nation. You little shits may have muzzleloaders but against this little beauty," he pushes the cylinder to the side and ejects the spent cartridge to load a new .500-Magnum round, "they're shit." Closing the revolver's action, he finished his piece, leaning back into his chair but still holding that air of alertness.

Claudia could see it in his posture. He was ready to pounce once a threat makes itself clear.

Zan gulped heavily from the entire scene. If that was him annoyed, then she doesn't want to see him when he's angered.

By nightfall, the war council was over, with the members present heading home or to wherever they were staying. The Marine was about to leave as well when Lady Celestine's voice reached to him.

"Sir Taggert?" Her voice seemed to falter when she spoke to him. He turned his head to her before replying.

"You need something, Ma'am?" She seemed to perk up when he had acknowledged her.

"I was wondering if I may have a moment of your time, Sir Taggert." Now that raised an eyebrow. Normally he would decline and head back to his quarters. But considering that the Argent Energy flowing through his veins made it near impossible to sleep bar certain occasions, he might as well humor her.

"Well, I've nothing to do," Celestine sent a smile his way before turning and motioning Olga over. Her movements were graceful, as were Olga's responding movements.

"Splendid," the Dark Elf Queen spoke, "now then, shall we head off to somewhere more private?"

"I'm to assume that this is something important?" The Goddess Reborn nodded. The Marine simply nodded.

"Lead the way."

[-]

It took thirty minutes to get to Celestine's private chambers, mostly because both elven monarchs wanted to 'take the scenic route' as Olga so gracefully explained. That annoyed the Marine, but he also noted that there was something off from them.

To the untrained eye, none can be discerned from the way the two elves carried themselves. Their poise and their gait carried that fine blended air of grace, authority, and elegance. But in the eyes of one such as the Marine, one could pick up the stiffness in their step, the slight pauses with each limb.

They were afraid of something. He didn't know who, he didn't know what, but if left unchecked, this will leave the two vulnerable to being assassinated or worse.

Once they were all in the room, Celestine used the magic that was bestowed upon her once she was born to seal the doors shut as well as down the drapes to cover up the windows. The Marine took note of how quickly this was all done, not even six seconds.

Now they had his curiosity.

Once she was certain nothing can peek in at them, Olga casted a silence type of spell that engulfs the room, the kind that was designed so that nothing spoken within a room ever leaves it until the spell is lifted.

Sighing in relief, Celestine began to lie on her bed. Olga simply sat on the left side, humming for a while before the Marine spoke to them both.

"So why exactly did you drag me here, you two?" The Marine immediately went down to business.

The two elves looked to one another before nodding. Olga decided to speak up first.

"We had encountered a set of visions regarding you." That grabbed his attention, stepping closer towards the two monarchs. When they heard no response, Olga elaborated further.

"It was surreal, the visions. There were those odd names. Mars City, Delta Labs, Board of Directors… So many more as well," she trailed off, trying to recall more of those strange names.

The Marine was silent. He knew exactly what she was speaking of.

"Then this vision led us to a tomb of sorts, with a large coffin…"

"Sarcophagus," Olga blinked at the Marine suddenly speaking up.

"Pardon?" the Marine sighed and grabbed a nearby chair to sit down upon, the wood creaking and groaning at the massive weight suddenly placed upon it.

"That 'coffin' you guys saw was a sarcophagus," he looked at both of them.

"Specifically, _**my**_ sarcophagus," with those three words, he had stunned them into silence. Leaning forward, he spoke.

"What else did you two see?" At this, Celestine answered him.

"This woman, I-I believe her name was Oliv-Olivia P-Pierce," the two elves picked up the Marine's fist clenching rather harshly at the mention of that woman's name.

"Whoever she was, she was rather obsessed about your… uhm, sarcophagus," Celestine continued. She really didn't feel good when she had said those words. It felt wrong to tell someone about their resting place.

And now comes the rather morbid part.

"Sir Taggert? Did you… die?" Celestine nervously asked.

The Marine fell silent. A second had passed, then two seconds, then three seconds, until around ten seconds before he gave his answer.

"Yes."

The silence as deafening once that one word left the lips of the Marine. The Marine decided to break it.

"Show me." Celestine blinked at his words, then Olga.

"W-what?"

"Show me what you two saw in the visions." He said in a tone with firm authority. The two elves looked to one another.

"Sir Taggert-"

"Now," he interrupted, voice still firm. Celestine sighed and getting out from the comforts of her bed.

She looks at Olga, the Dark Elf Queen of the Jagged Crown nodding to the Goddess Reborn.

"Alright, but I'll need you to be still, Sir Taggert," the Marine simply nodded in response.

"We'll also require you to remove your helmet, Sir Taggert," Olga spoke. He grunted, reaching for the bottom of his helmet and depressing the buttons to release it. The familiar hissing of pressurized air rapidly flowing accompanied the removing of his helmet.

Celestine shuddered at the sight of his face. She had an inkling of an idea just what vile creatures can deal such lasting scars and wounds.

One hand from Celestine and another from Olga, fingertips glowing with some form of energy, were placed on the sides of his exposed head.

It was instant, the moment their fingers touched his exposed head. To the normal person, all the images passed so fast that they were a blur. But the Marine was able to see everything that Celestine and Olga had seen in perfect detail.

The first vision showed him the outskirts of that tomb, the soldiers accompanying the scientists, Olivia finding his sarcophagus, the transporting of his sarcophagus to Mars City, the laboratory room, and Samuel Hayden. He had seen them with perfect detail, his eyes never missing anything.

Then the next vision gave him a bit of a headache.

Hayden had placed him in the same ward room his squad members were _recuperating_ as the bastard had so nicely put it. That bastard removed their biochips, too, rendering them unable to move _anything_ at all. By the time he was able to move again, the first thing he did was immediately storm the bastard's office. That got him charged with assaulting a superior officer and of insubordination, which would've landed him in a post as a security detail on Mars City.

On that very same day, however, was when Hell had decided to make its presence known. It had sent everyone into a panic, creating chaos and confusion which allowed the demons to quickly slaughter those caught unawares. He remembered having to fight his way through the city.

After half an hour or so had passed, Celestine and Olga had released their fingers from the Marine's head. They were silent, all three of them. No one said anything, the room being as quiet as the graves. The Marine stood up from his seat, turning around and heading towards the doors.

"Sir Taggert?" Celestine's voice reached him as he had just placed his hand on one of the handles. He kept silent for a few seconds before speaking.

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Ma'am. I'll be going now," with that, he pushes through the doors and leaves the two elves in the room.

They watched him leave, the large man with the green plating walking down the halls and sooner out of sight by rounding a corner. Celestine didn't feel right, and why would she? She had just seen glimpses of his life. And she had shown it to him, made him relive those moments. Her stomach twisted at that thought. She felt as though she had violated something within that man.

"Olga?" The Dark Elf looked towards her in response. "Did we… do the right thing?" A sigh was her answer, Olga rubbing her face lightly with one hand.

"I don't know the answer, Celestine…" She glanced at the slightly open door then to her companion.

"I don't know."

* * *

-In Dragundaala; Royal Castle/Around the same time-

"My apologies, Sir Flaynithere," the aged voice of Julian Dragundaala spoke, drawing the attention of those within the dining area as the king regarded the large Draco-Demon within their presence, "but you want to do what?"

Cygnis rolled his eyes and gave a guttural sigh, causing some of the guards to raise their weapons at him; looks like he was going to go over it again. Seriously, it was like he was living in some weird show or series where the character has to repeat what has been said just so the audience can get some context for the scenes to come.

Either that, or like one of those weird fanfictions his grandfather had stumbled upon somewhere. He shuddered at the memory of those things. In the dark corners of his mind, he felt as though that the amount of buckshot, rockets, grenades, bullets, kinetic rails, and even Tiberium blasts weren't enough to destroy them from existence.

Argh! Focus!

Taking a deep breath and then exhaling, the dragonoid explained to the king once more.

"I'm planning on heading on over to Eostia," his voice came off as what one would expect from a dragon-like beast. "I heard there was some war brewing there."

King Julian nodded, "And what do you hope of finding in our ally's lands, Lord Flaynithere?" The dragonoid puffed a smoke ring before answering.

"Some clues, hopefully. Me crashing into your nation wasn't by accident, it would appear," his answer drew some looks of confusion. The dragonoid reached out and grabbed another turkey leg before taking a large bite out of it. Swallowing the chunk of meat, he continues.

"I've been sensing some crazy amounts of energy coming from that place. Among them, I've picked up five energy signatures that I'm most familiar with." Cygnis leans back and releases another puff of smoke.

"All of them being in the same country? Can't be a coincidence, it can't be." Cygnis spoke as he finished his meal. He stands up from his seat and strides over to the doors.

"I'll be in the sparring yard if anyone needs me." With those words, he left.

King Dragundaala was in deep thought, the words of the Draco-Demon holding weight on him. He knows that he shouldn't trust the words of a demon, especially one belonging to the same species with a fixation to his kingdom, but something in that Cygnis Flaynithere's words hold merit.

Within his kingdom, the Magi Institute has also been experiencing similar waves of energy. After some investigation, these energy waves all have one point of origin.

Eostia, on the continent of Selenus, where their allies, the Seven Shields, are currently at war with the traitorous Kuro Inu Mercenary group.

Soon after, most of the guests have left, leaving only the royal family and close friends within the dining hall. King Dragundaala was still in deep thought when his daughter had spoken to him.

"Father?" Her voice reached his ears, bringing him out of his thinking.

"Ah, y-yes dear daughter?" Catue finished her meal and spoke.

"I was wondering, if you would allow it, if I can aid our allies in Eostia personally?" That got a reaction from him. Normally he would happily grant his daughter's request, but this time it was different.

"My dear, you couldn't possibly be serious!" Catue simply nodded.

"Of that, father, I am. Our allies are in danger and the threat they are facing is greater than what they or we have experienced before," she replied. "If I can have you-"

"You cannot, young lady! It is too dangerous! I forbid it!" Her father exclaimed before she could finish, making her flinch at the sudden response. He held firm, adding in a few more words filled with worry, "If you get harmed or worse, I'll never forgive myself."

"I won't be alone, father. Perhaps if I were to accompany Sir Flay-"

"That is out of the question, young lady; we do not fully know the capabilities of the Draco-Demon and we are unsure of where his true loyalties lie." King Dragundaala said his voice level and firm as he cut off his daughter.

"It's too much of a risk."

"Then perhaps it would be best if a few soldiers were to accompany her," Jindrack's voiced out his suggestion from where he was seated. His words made them look over to Catue's fiancée with mixed reactions.

"You would risk the life of your fiancée for this?" Jindrack shook his head in response.

"No, for I would be accompanying her, and Sir Flaynithere if he would come with," he added as the older ones present listened.

"Can we trust this Draco-Demon?"

"How will we know this beast won't turn his back on them?"

"Perhaps if we sent a Battle Mage or two, it would deter this beast from openly attack them."

"And if the beast has immunity to magic?"

"Then we shall send some of our best knights to accompany Princess Dragundaala and her fiancée to aid our Battle Magi."

"Enough," though calm and in an even voice, the manner in which Queen Dragundaala had said it made everyone fall silent. "Why don't we ask my daughter if she is certain in her decision?" She locked eyes with her own daughter, her own gaze firm as any mother's gaze would be.

"Now dear," she started, "are you absolutely certain of doing this? Though you are capable, there are always those that will best you in any way." Her voice was even in tone, but with a hint of worry within her words.

Catue simply nodded. "I am certain, mother. You and father have always told me that a true ruler always looks out for their allies. And I am doing just that: looking out for my allies." Nina didn't respond verbally, choosing to nod instead. Turning to her husband, she spoke.

"Julian, I want you to gather four of our best knights and two of our best Battle Magi. If our daughter, her fiancée and Sir Flaynithere are to venture out into Eostia, I would prefer if very little of them are to be harmed." Julian sighed at her words but gave a tired smile in response.

He nearly forgot that prior to becoming his wife, Nina had been one of the chief tacticians during his days as a prince despite being a year or so younger than him.

"Fine, I shall send the messengers to the Magi Institute and to our generals. It should take less than a week to find the appropriate ones to protect our child."

Catue smiled and looked towards Jindrack, who gave her a smile in response.

"And what of Sir Flaynithere?"

"We'll talk it over with him in the morning, it is getting late after all." Julian answered Jindrack's question.

[-]

Meanwhile, outside the dining hall, Cygnis Flaynithere had been listening in on the entire conversation. Hearing enough, the dragonoid begins to walk to where he would be sleeping. His face was impassive, with his golden eyes taking in the details of the halls as he passed by some of the servants of the castle.

_**"So…"**_ his grandfather's voice echoed within the confines of his head, _**"Looks like we're gonna have some tagalongs for the ride."**_

_"Yeah,"_

Cygnis responded mentally, passing through the hallways of Castle Dragundaala, _"that's good. Means I won't have to babysit the little brat after all."_

_**"You sure about that, kiddo?"**_ while he didn't see it, he _knew_ his grandfather Nithor was having a confident smirk on his draconic face. _**"Little girl seems mighty interested in you."**_

_"__Oh shut it, you old fossil. She's just curious since I'm the only 'Draco-Demon' that's actually decent in clothing,"_ Cygnis took a left. _"Either way, the little brat'll get bored sooner or later."_

_**"So you never noticed the energy coming off from her?"**_ his grandfather's question made Cygnis stop in his tracks.

_"What?"_

_**"You heard me,"**_ Nithor responded. _**"That little brat has some interesting energy waves coming from her. Hell, not just her but her mom and dad, too. They got the energy of dragons, raw and concealed."**_

_"That can't be right,"_ Cygnis retorted. _"The only way for non-Drakonids to gain the power of dragons is either through a bloodline with at least one Drakonid or…"_ His golden eyes widened upon realization.

_**"That's right, boy,"**_ Nithor spoke. _**"It was faint, probably because their bloodline's been around for a relatively long time, but it was there."**_ Cygnis did not like where this was going.

_ **"They got their hands on a Dragon's Shard."** _

_"But that's a one in a million chance! The only fuck we know who's been hoarding the Shards would be…"_ Cygnis trailed off.

_**"That's right,"**_ the two came to the same answer.

_**"D'Sparil."**_ The two Drakonids scowled at the mention of their long-time foe: the one individual responsible for Cygnis's trail of vengeance, one of the most powerful sorcerers across the multiverse, and a general Grade-A motherfucker.

Cygnis made a beeline towards where he was staying.

It was time to get psyched for the coming days.

* * *

-Within the forests on the outskirts of Thorn/At the same time-

"HYAH!" A Macheterang smashed against the tree she was using, creating a deep furrow in a diagonal direction. Her mentor tsked in response and shook his head.

"Again!" tiredly, Ella gripped the odd-looking sword with both hands and made another diagonal slash, essentially creating an X pattern on the tree. Malcolm Striker tsked once again.

"Too slow, you need to use the weight of the blade to your advantage."

"What the hell do you think I was doing?!" Ella snapped at him.

"You were putting out sloppy slashes, kiddo. The faster you can slash your target, the better you'll get overall." He puffed out a small smoke cloud before continuing.

"Although," he took in Ella's current build, "we may need to build up some muscle before any of those." He grumbled as he fished out another cigarette to light.

"Then why the hell did you make me slash at a dozen trees?!" in response, Striker flicked Ella across the forehead.

"So you can get a feel around it. It won't do you any good if you got the muscles but not the experience to hold a weapon." He puffed out a smoke ring from the new cigarette before continuing. "Well, that, and I thought you could learning a thing or two about lumberjacking."

"Gee," his apprentice muttered in annoyance, "I'm _so_ lucky that I have such a thoughtful and wise master." He grinned in response.

"Yeah, you better believe it, kiddo." He replied before surveying the cleared forest around him.

A dozen stumps of what used to be trees surrounded him and his apprentice, essentially making a clearing within the forest. Now that he got a good look at the trees, he could tell the similarities between these trees and of the cherry blossom trees back in Japan, although these trees seem to be a deeper shade of magenta rather than of a pink hue.

_"I wonder if Shizune would like these trees."_ He mused, remembering clearly of the one woman he had met in an alternate Japan filled with arcane knowledge, smiling fondly.

"Well," dragging himself out of his thoughts, he continued, "once you're done cutting down that tree, we'll take five. After that, we'll work on your marksmanship."

"Yosh!" his apprentice pumped her fist in excitement.

"Or lack of it."

"Hey!" Ella squawked in response to his last words.

The forest was soon filled with the sounds of a teenage girl trying to hit her master with a deceptively heavy blade while her master just laughed in response to her attempts.

* * *

**Alright, so not really that much action and more on filler and I apologize for that if you guys aren't that excited for this new chapter. This filler is also necessary for other elements within the story, mainly how each character interacts with other characters and their relationships with them.**

**I also apologize for the long wait. I've been busy trying to do more grown-up stuff like finalize my bank account, my postal ID, that sort of thing. Then there's also getting into college and enrolling in their IT course. Wish me luck on that regard, guys! Now, I promise the next chapter will have action or my name is Doodoo Dunderhead! And it's not.**

**What to expect? Well, what else really? Doomguy and Co. will fight the Kuro Inu, lines will be drawn, and people will die. It's Doom afterall!**

**So guys, leave a review and, if you haven't already, be sure to **Favorite** and **Follow** my story. If you find any problems within this chapter, do tell me. Constructive criticism helps in shaping the future quality of this story.**

**Thanks in advance! **


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